The document summarizes the author's trip to the southern regions of Thailand, where they observed various geological features and wildlife. It discusses the formation of limestone and sandstone rocks in the area from 260 million years ago, and how the collision of tectonic plates 30 million years ago left limestone karsts. It also describes animals seen like the crab-eating macaque, three striped grass frog, and rainbow parrotfish. Geological principles like the law of superposition and angular unconformities are also briefly explained in the context of the area's geology.

1. The Southern Regions of
Thailand
Eric Chun

2. Introduction
Earlier this summer, my family and I took a
trip to different parts of Asia and was lucky
enough to visit Krabi along with several
other islands in the Southern part of
Thailand. We saw beautiful green karsts
looming over us everywhere we went, a
variety of landscapes, and many different
animals ranging from monkeys to frogs to
unique fish. When we went island hopping
along the different islands, I was able to
really take in the true beauty of the area. I
identified limestone, sandstone, and
scorpia.

3. History
● Southern Thailand was formed 260 million
years ago during the Permian period
● During this time, the sea was very shallow
and there were many deposits of coral reef
● As time passed by sedimentary layers
washed onto the reef from the land which
later compressed and formed limestone
through the high concentration of calcium
carbonate

4. History (cont.)
● Then around 30 million years ago, the Indian subcontinental plate
collided with mainland Asia and sea levels dropped tremendously
leaving behind beautiful limestone karsts. These limestone peaks are
found throughout Southern Thailand and rise up to 2950 feet above
water which attract rock climbers from around the globe. Since
limestone is very easily eroded, the karsts have been changing ever so
slightly since millions of years ago and will continue to do so (“Karst
Formations”)

5. Limestone
● Limestone is a sedimentary rock type
composed of calcium-carbonate
● Limestone is formed in warm shallow clear
waters that are rich in calcium-carbonate and
this is exactly what the coast of Southern
Thailand was like many millions of years ago
when the sea level was much higher.
● Limestone itself is very easily eroded by water,
wind, and regular weathering
● It is also able to take in the maximum amount
of water causing them to grow out luscious
green landscapes

6. Sandstone
● Sandstone is a sedimentary rock that is
composed of sand and other minerals
that bind the sand grains together (King)
● I thought that this rock was sandstone
due to the small grains of sand that is
seen on the rocks if you look very closely
● If you look closely enough too, you can
see that there are many different layers
which is an indication that the rock is
sandstone
● Hard to see, but there is also a monkey in
the picture

7. Scoria
● Scoria is an igneous rock type that has
bubble like qualities on the rock
● It is formed when magma containing
dissolved gas flows from a volcano or is
blown out during an eruption
● The dissolved gas then starts to bubble
up until the magma is cooled
● I saw this rock and noticed that it was
dark and contained bubble like features
● What is different about this rock from my
other two is that this one is on a
mountaintop and not next to the ocean

8. Crab-Eating Macaque
● The crab-eating macaque is a native
to Southeast Asia
● The female is the dominant gender
in their society and the males leave
their family after they reach puberty
● These macaque have been
documented using tools to obtain
food in Thailand
● Crab-Eating Macaque are
considered omnivores

9. Crab-Eating Macaque (cont.)
● They are roughly 10-20 pounds
● Their tails are usually longer than their body to help them balance when they jump
distances of up to 16 feet (“Species of Thailand”)
● Its scientific name is Macaca Fascicularis and is in the Cercopithecidae family and the
Cercopithecinae subfamily
● In the early 1600s this species was introduced to Mauritius, and island in East Africa
when there weren’t many other competitors and predators and as a result, their species
grew rapidly
● They are able to adapt quickly due to their simple diet of seeds, fruit, birds, and insects

10. Three Striped Grass Frog
● Its scientific name is Hylarana
macrodactyla
● These frogs are generally found in
Southeast Asian countries in tropical
forests
● The Three Striped Grass Frog is in the
Ranidae family
● Frogs evolved from salamanders in the
Triassic period of Madagascar in
tropical climates, and this is how the
Three Striped Grass Frog probably
originated in Southeast Asia

11. Rainbow Parrotfish
● The Rainbow Parrotfish is a common fish to find while
snorkeling in the tropical waters off of Thailand
● Parrotfish have the ability to change color and
surprisingly also change gender
● These fish mainly eat algae off the coral reefs
● Its scientific name is Scarus guacamaia
● Rainbow Parrotfish clean coral reefs by nibbling on
dead pieces everyday and then digest it to discharge
white sands that make ocean reefs so pretty
● Many countries are starting to protect these fish in
order to save the future of our coral reefs

12. Law of Superposition
● The law of superposition, simply
put states that younger rocks
lay on top of older rocks
● In this picture you can see the
rock formations vertically
● With this law, you would say
that the height of the rock tells
its relative age

13. Angular Unconformity
● An angular unconformity is when younger
layers of rock sit on top of older rocks that
have a tilt to them (“Unconformities”)
● In this picture it is not easy to tell that
there is an angular unconformity, but if
you look closely you’ll be able to see that
the rocks are slightly tilted near the
bottom half of the rock, but on the upper
part, there is less of a tilt resulting in
younger rocks sitting flat on top of tilted
rocks

14. References
● Danoff-Burg, J. A. Introduced Species Summary Project Crab-eating Macaque (Macaca fascicularis).
Retrieved from http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-
burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Macaca_fascicularis.htm
● King, H. M. Scoria. Retrieved from https://geology.com/rocks/scoria.shtml
● King, H. M. Sandstone. Retrieved from https://geology.com/rocks/sandstone.shtml
● King, H. M. Limestone. Retrieved from https://geology.com/rocks/limestone.shtml
● Karst Formations: an ancient landscape. Retrieved from
https://www.andamancampandcruise.com/karst-formations-an-ancient-landscape.html
● Rock Key. Retrieved from http://www.minsocam.org/msa/collectors_corner/id/rock_key.htm
● Taylor, T., Haslam, & Chermundy. Thai National Parks. Retrieved from
https://www.thainationalparks.com/species/crab-eating-macaque
● Admin. (2015, December 11). Parrotfish: The fish that can save coral reefs. Retrieved from
https://www.virgin.com/virgin-unite/leadership-and-advocacy/parrotfish-the-fish-that-can-save-coral-
reefs
● Home. Retrieved from https://snorkelingthailand.com/parrot-fish/
● Law of superposition. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/law-of-superposition
● Unconformities. Retrieved from https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/geology/geologic-
structures/unconformities