Final Hainan Assessment for the Future
 |
Today's topographical map of Hainan showing majority of
Hainan is mountainous |
Hainan is home to a very tourist-friendly, tropical island
that has many unique geographical
landforms such as the National Volcano Park that takes people inside
extinct and dormant volcanoes. With Hainan being an island, the beaches along
the coastlines are breathtaking maintain
the appeal to tourists with mountains nearly bordering the waters from the
oceans, creating a distinct feature for the small country of Hainan. In the
center of Hainan towers the Wuzhi Mountains that includes the unique Five Fingers
mountains stacked side-by-side with various cultural tales of their origins.
 |
The Hainan fog is so dense that the fog can leave puddles several
millimeters in depth. The fog can decrease visibility to just 50 meters |
Upon learning some of the basic geographical facts of the
world, I believe that in 10,000 years
Hainan will look similar to what it looks like today, however I predict that the
island will be a little smaller in size. With today’s constant rise in sea
level, it is predicted that in 10,000 years the glaciers will completely melt,
raising the sea level up 3 to 4 meters. Along with the sea levels raising water
table, Hainan’s annual fog can contribute to increased flooding and
disappearance of Hainan. The annual fog today can allot several millimeters of
water on the ground and in 10,000 years, that number could increase due to a
higher water table from glacial melting. With Hainan being an island, the
coastline will be raised, creating a higher beach along the bases of mountains.
As part of tectonic shifts, I believe the mountains will have a small growth of
roughly 5 meters since it is in the center of the lower right corner of the
Eurasian plate.
 |
| Hainan is part of the bottom right of the Eurasian Plate in-between the Indian and Philippine Plate |
 |
| Landslides could become serious threats with the increase of wet seasons |
Based on recent developments, I believe that in a million
years Hainan and Earth all together will become inhabitable leaving Hainan to
become overwhelmed with nature and vegetation. It is believed that in a million
years Earth will undergo a supervolcanic eruption, wiping out life. As a
result, Hainan will become a rocky volcanic island. With over 58 volcanoes
masking the small island, the super eruption can trigger these volcanoes to
erupt, and deface Hainan. The lava would destroy vegetation inhabiting the
volcano sides along with destroying rainforests. However, if Hainan’s tropical
climate is still present, and there is no climate shift, the heavy rainfall and
annual fog would help solidify the lava, elevating the height of the island. As
the land’s elevation will increase due to the lava, the mountains will become
flatter with the constant weathering taking place. Over the years, the heavy
rain and annual fog will take its toll on the land, causing landslides, and
even collapsing the folktale Five Fingers mountains.
 |
This map highlights the coral reefs near Hainan, China
with a coral reef developing around Hainan |
In 100 million years, Hainan could become even flatter and
possibly become a coral reef if the organisms can still thrive. Since weathering
and erosion will constantly happen, Hainan will become flatter and the nutrient
runoff from the island will feed coral larvae. Hainan might be in the fringing
or barrier stage since weathering and erosion may take awhile.
Sources:
