Science Common Sense

1561 - Why is Taiwan located at a convergent plate boundary

Imagine you're at the beach and you see two big pieces of puzzle fitting together. The Earth's surface is made up of big puzzle pieces called tectonic plates. Taiwan is located where two of these plates are pushing against each other, which is called a convergent boundary.

One plate is called the Eurasian Plate, and the other is called the Philippine Sea Plate. The Philippine Sea Plate is being pushed under the Eurasian Plate, which is called subduction. This process makes the Earth's surface rise to form mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

Taiwan is where these two plates meet, so it's a very special and active place in terms of geology. This is why Taiwan has many mountains, hot springs, and experiences earthquakes.