Daguoye Basalt Columns

Daguoye Basalt Columns is a columnar basalt landscape on the coast of Chidong Village, Xiyu Township, uncovered by accident when a quarry was cut for a Japanese-era pier project, exposing rock that had lain buried for ages. The columns stand in orderly rows over 10 meters tall, facing the western sea. In the evening when the setting sun strikes from the side, shadow contrast on the columns is sharp — an important landscape photography site in Xiyu, Penghu.

During the Japanese colonial era, a pier was built at Daguoye to connect Magong and Xiyu by sea; while quarrying stone for the project, workers unexpectedly uncovered this buried columnar basalt rock face, and the current site is the exposed wall left behind by that old quarry. Penghu's basalt geology formed roughly 8–16 million years ago, when undersea volcanic lava erupted and rapidly cooled and contracted in seawater, producing pentagonal and hexagonal columnar joints.

Highlights of Daguoye Basalt Columns

Basalt columnar joints form when lava cools and contracts after eruption: tensile stress creates regular cracks perpendicular to the cooling surface, producing hexagonal or polygonal column shapes. The Daguoye basalt column cluster is one of the larger formations in Penghu. The columns stand upright with clean cross-sections; below them is a reef coast where you can walk close to the rock and observe the joint structure in detail.

The columns face the western sea. When the sun is low in the evening and hits the columns at a shallow angle, the relief of the joints creates strong light-and-dark contrast with more textural depth than the flat overhead light of midday — ideal conditions for photographing the basalt. The reef area below the columns is natural terrain with uneven footing; watch your step. At high tide, waves may reach some reef areas — keep a safe distance.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Visit

Practical Information

Sources: Spot context notes. Photos pending Dio's on-site photography.