The stratum of this area stretches generally from northeast to southwest, giving rise to a terrain consisting of faults, syncline, and anticline structures, all of which indicate that the region had experienced intense crustal movements.
Dacite in this area is exposed and its stratum is rich in gold and copper ores. The diversity of mineral ores and mineralization and the multivariate distribution of mineral veins have created a unique geological landscape, which provides a natural geological classroom for the study of earth sciences.
The Jinguashi ore body lies mainly in the core of Miocene sedimentary rocks, and part of the ore body is made up of igneous rock mass. The layer of sedimentary rock was accumulated as part of the seabed 10 to25 million years ago. About 8 to10 million years ago, collision and extrusion between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate caused various degrees of crustal movement, leading to the formation of such terrain as folds and faults and the continued slow rise of land about 2 million years ago.
In the Pleistocene epoch between 1.7 million and 900,000 years ago, magma activities in the area had formed several igneous intrusive bodies and ejected rock masses.
Intrusive bodies include the Keelung Mountain, the Mudan Mountain, and Jinguashi, while the Grassy Hill and Jimuling are ejected rock masses. After the Pleistocene epoch, frequent fault activities continued to occur in the area. “Hydrothermal mineralization” in the late stage of magma activity is liquid gushed from incandescent underground areas through gaps in faults and fracture zones to the surface, forming the main goldmine body in the area.
Terrains of the Jinguashi mine and its buffer zone are mostly hills ranging from 100 to 500 meters above sea level, with the 587 meter-high Keelung Mountain being the highest. The Teapot Mountain, Grassy Hill, and Mount Banping around the Jinguashi settlement are other topographic characteristic features in the area.
The mining settlement is not particularly steep at 200 to325 meters above sea level, but its terrain is steeper because of its location in a hilly landscape and the steep drop faults of the stream valley.
According to preliminary field analysis, the distribution of animals in the Jinguashi settlement differs from those in its buffer zone because of different terrain and vegetation. Among the animals found in the area, birds have the most intriguing distribution patterns.
A survey by the Chinese Wild Bird Federation showed that the bird species that have appeared in the area include:
- Birds of prey: black kite (Milvus migrans), crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela), crested goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus), besra (Accipiter virgatus), common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), crested honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus), black eagle (Ictinaetus malaiensis), and Chinese sparrowhawk (Accipiter soloensis).
- Forest birds: Taiwan blue magpie (Urocissa caerulea), grey treepie (Dendrocitta formosae), Taiwan barbet (Psilopogon nuchalis), Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus), rufous-capped babbler (Stachyridopsis ruficeps), streak-breasted scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus ruficollis), rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus erythrogenys), scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata), and dusky fulvetta (Schoeniparus brunneus).
- Ravine stream birds: little egret (Egretta garzetta), cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), kingfisher (Alcedinidae), grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea), and white wagtail (Motacilla alba).
- Other birds: light-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis), little swift (Apus affinis), Pacific swallow (Hirundo tahitica), pale thrush (Turdus pallidus), and black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus).
It is worth mentioning that the area is a major breeding ground and habitat for black kites.
Common reptiles in the area include the Shanghai elegant skink (Plestiodon elegans), brown spotted pit viper (Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus), Chinese water snake (Enhydris chinensis), Chinese green tree viper (Trimeresurus stejnegeri), checkered keelback (Xenochrophis piscator), big-eyed ratsnake (Ptyas dhumnades), and many-banded krait (Bungarus multicinctus multicinctus).
There are also such stream fishes as the pale chub (Zacco platypus), Taiwan chub (Opsariichthys pachycephalus), grouper (Epinephelinae), goldfish (Carassius auratus), Taiwan shovel-jaw carp (Onychostoma barbatulum), pond loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), and giant mottled eel (Anguilla marmorata).
Common amphibians include the Taipa frog (Rana longicrus), rana sauteri (Pseudoamolops sauteri), olive frog (Babina adenopleura), and bankor toad (Bufo bankorensis).
There are also such insects as the white-spotted flower chafer beetle (Potosia aerata sumarmorea), hawk moth (Sphingidae), swallowtail butterfly (Papilionidae), atlas moth (Attacus atlas), and imported cabbage worm (Artogeia rapae crucivora).
The distribution of vegetation in this area is affected by the northeast monsoon, mining activities, and soil quality. The water fern (Histiopteris incisa) and Old World forked fern (Dicranopteris linearis) are the main plants at Shuinandong and the windward side of Jinguashi, because of strong monsoons and copper extraction that had led to soil contamination by large amounts of heavy metals.
In addition, the Pacific Island silvergrass (Miscanthus floridulus) has become a distinctive vegetation in this area because the sunny slopes of Jinguashi are prone to wildfire.
The area is categorized as monsoon shrubland and steppe, and besides the aforementioned Pacific Island Silvergrass and Old World forked fern, there are also shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet), palm grass (Setaria palmifolia), and Pilose beggarticks (Bidens).
Native tree species include pine (Pinus)common machilus (Machilus thunbergii), common eurya (Eurya chinensis), incense nanmu(Machilus zuihoensis Hayata), tung oil tree (Vernicia fordii), parasol leaf tree (Macaranga tanarius), Japanese Mallotus (Mallotus japonicus), brush pot tree (Cyathea lepifera), Formosan alder (Alnus formosana), green maple (Acer serrulatum Hayata), and wild coffee (Psychotria).
Moreover, the Chinese Bretschneidera (Bretschneidera sinensis) that grow on rocks around the mountains and land slide areas provide an important ecosystem for research.
2-1: Old Gold Mine Sites:
- Open pits: Benshan open pit, Shumei open pit.
- Gold-mining tunnels: The underground mining area is divided into five pits -- Benshan No. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, which are interconnected by shafts. Today, only pit No. 5 is still intact and the New Taipei City Government has plans to incorporate it with the Gold Museum; all the other pits are severely damaged.
- Changren incline railway, Wuji ropeway, incline railway: These three were the main transport lines connecting various pits in Jinguashi and Shuinandong and servingas the traffic artery of Jinguashi at the time.
- Shuinandong gold smelting plant, Liyue copper smelting plant: Most mining facilities from the Japanese colonial era, including ore-dressing and ore-washing facilities, have since been dismantled, but there remains several abandoned gold-smelting plants and exhaust flues from a copper-smelting plant built by the Japanese authorities.
2-2: Old Buildings:
- Jinguashi Crown Prince Chalet: The chalet was built by the Nippon Mining Holdings in 1922 during the period of Japanese rule as the intended residence of Crown Prince Hirohito when he came to Taiwan for inspections.
- Japanese-style houses: Japanese-style houses were built as Japanese senior staff quarters. The spatial layout of Japanese buildings, Crown Prince Chalet, and Gold Temple (Ogon Shrine) reflects the strict social class division among deities, royal family members, and civil society.
- Old shopping street: Being constructed with stairs in accordance with the terrain, the street was very unique and became a prosperous area with flourishing commercial activities during the heyday of the mining industry.
2-3: Temples:
- Gold Temple (Ogon Shrine): The temple was built in 1933 at Jinguashi by the Nippon Mining Holdings after it took over the mining site to worship the “Kami spirits of metallurgy” from the Kanayama Shrine in Japan. The temple was not maintained after 1945 and was eventually destroyed, leaving behind only partial stone pillars and stone lamps.
- Cyuanjitang (Golden Guangong Temple): It was originally a cottage temple for worshipping Guangong that cracked when the copper smelter beside it was reconstructed during the period of Japanese rule. It was rebuilt in 1931 and has since become an important center of spiritual worship in Jinguashi.
Jinguashi is comparable to Las Médulas of Spain, which was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1997.The latter was a gold mining site used by the Roman Empire in northwest Spain during the first century. After two centuries of mining gold by using the hydraulic mining method, the Romans abandoned the mining site, leaving behind a devastated landscape in a region that has not seen any industrial activity since. It is noteworthy that the historical remnants of ancient Roman mining technology – including a steep, mountainside-like appearance and a vast area full of cinders – are now utilized as farmland.
The story of the formation of Jinguashi began in the summer of 1890, when the construction of the Badu Bridge was initiated by Taiwan Governor Liu Ming-chuan. The construction workers accidentally discovered gold particles in the Keelung River, triggering a gold rush as a result.
After Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895, Japanese authorities modernized the mining process in Jinguashi by using aerial cable cars to transport mineral ores from the Benshan mining deposit to be smelted at Shuinandong, transforming Jinguashi and Shuinanong into mining and ore-dressing settlements.
In 1950, the Japanese discovered rich enargite bodies in the same area and established a copper-smelting plant in Shuinandong to process copper mined from the Changren mining deposit.
Gold- and copper-mining industries continued to thrive after the retrocession of Taiwan in 1945, playing an important role in the development of Taiwan’s economy at that time.
In 1987, the Taiwan Metal & Mining Corporation stopped its operations, which put an end to the glorious mining history of Jinguashi. At the present, there are many mining artifacts in the area, including human settlements, pits, tunnels, cable car railways, cableways, and smelting facilities, and these important landscapes are the key elements that will make Jinguashi prosperous again in the future.