Keelung government staffers are using volcanic rock to make succulent gardens, walkways and other products, transforming a seafaring danger into a creative outlet.
Ever since an undersea volcano erupted in August last year near Japan’s Ogasawara Islands, mounds of pumice stones have been floating ashore on Taiwan’s east coast and outlying islands.
Pumice is produced when lava with a high content of water and gases is discharged from a volcano, then quickly cools and hardens, creating a light and porous stone.
As they float, the pebbles can easily become sucked into ship engines and cause damage.
Fishers in Keelung have been feeling the effects,