A plan to repair the iconic Queen’s Head rock formation at New Taipei’s Yehliu Geopark will begin today, in a bid to protect the popular tourist attraction from erosion that threatens to snap its narrow neck.

Tourism officials say different erosion-combating techniques will be tested on four smaller rocks near the Queen’s Head, which is one of the many mushroom-shaped rock pinnacles in Yehliu.

Officials say the results of the tests will be monitored for at least six months to determine which repair technique is most appropriate for the Queen’s Head itself.

The several meter tall rock, believed to be around 4,000 years old, was named for a passing resemblance to the profile of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Natural erosion has caused the circumference of the queen’s neck to shrink from 144 centimeters in 2006 to 126 centimeters today, and there are concerns that it could narrow to a point where it can no longer support the large shape recognized as its head.

 

Image via Alton Thompson