Jeonbuk West Coast National Geopark in Buan, Jeollabuk-do, whose designation as a geopark, was endorsed by the Ministry of Environment in consideration of its geoscientific importance and the need to use it for education and tourism.
Summary
As of 2020, this is one of the 12 national geoparks in the country. As part of Byeonsanbando National Park, Buan was designated as Jeollabuk-do West Coast National Geopark on September 13, 2017 in recognition of its beautiful natural sceneries and value for geological studies. It has become a favorite destination of many visitors including students. It is expected that it will be a world-famous place, when it is certified as a world geopark by UNESCO. A geopark is designated in consideration of its unique topography and natural beauty, and geological value to use it as an arena of education for geoscience, attract visitors, and arrange for locals to share the profit.
Special Features of Buan Geopark
The Jiksopokpo Falls, Jeokbyeokgang Cliffed Coast, Chaeseokgang Cliffed Coast, Solseom Island, Mohang Beach, and Wido Island are said to be leading geological attractions in Buan. Located at the uppermost stream of Bongnae Valley, the Jiksopokpo Falls is the largest one among the waterfalls in the Byeonsan Peninsula. The place is comprised of Byeonsan Tuffs, as most of the volcanic rocks in Buan are. The volcanic tuffs include a large amount of pink orthoclase crystalline schists. Portholes are found on rocks at the bottom of the Jiksopokpo Falls. Sections of grotesque-looking, pillar-shaped rock joints are found in nearby places. Jeokbyeokgang Cliffed Coasted Coast in Gyeokpo-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun. The types of rocks found in Gyeokpo Basin are granite, andesite, and rhyolite at the bottom. As for the mid-section of the basin, it is mostly Gyeokpori Layer made up of sedimentary rocks. Its top part is made up of rhyolite and rhyolitic tuffs. Peperite has been formed between sedimentary rocks and rhyolites in the entire area of Jukmak Village, Gyeokpo-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun near Jeokbyeokgang Cliffed Coast. Peperite is formed with hot lava hit wet sediments left unhardened yet. It is thought that peperite in this area was formed with hot cretaceous lava cooling rapidly. Rhyolites with a well-developed section of grotesque-looking, pillar-shaped rock joints are observed on peperlite. Chaeseokgang Cliffed Coast, which is a sea cliff tens of meters tall, displays sedimentary layers, telling us how strata including diverse sedimentary rocks [conglomerates, sandstones, and shales] and sedimentary structures were formed. Here, you can observe changes in geological structures that occurred through crustal movements, massif intrusive bodies, metamorphism occurring in parts of contact, plant fossils, silicified wood, dinosaur footprints, etc. The marine plateau and sea caved formed in the area provides information on how the process of evolution was made in the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era through the Quaternary Period of the Cenozoic Era. Solseom Island is known for nice photo zones for shooting sunsets is composed of Lapilli tuffs containing pumice. There are diversely-sized mineralized zones caused by magma movements. Their shapes are well exposed through years of erosion. Visitors can enjoy their three-dimensional structure. In Mohang, Buan, you can also observe fish-bone vein system, which developed in Lapilli tuffs containing pumice, cylinder-shaped gas passages, and peperite. Fish-bone vein system is a quartz vein formed through rapid sedimentation and non-equilibrial compaction of volcanic clastic density current and by hydrofracture associated with pore fluid pressure made to the deep part. And peperite found here is said to be what is made through the encounter between pyroclastic materials and lava, not through the encounter between sediments and lava. Not all geologists consent to it. Wido Island is about 13 km westward off Buan and chiefly made up of volcanic rocks. Volcanic rocks in Wido include andesite (Dae-ri), Mangnyeongbong tuff, Beolgeumri strata, Ttandalrae tuff, rhyolite, and dyke rock which penetrates above rocks. Those with particular geological value are Beolgeumri strata including a sedimentary structure like graded bedding and chasms and andesite (Dae-ri), where geologists can check the times of lava eruption.
