Deokgu Valley (Gyeongbuk East Coast National Geopark)

Deokgu Valley is approximately 3 km long, featuring miniature replicas of famous bridges from around the world along the valley, offering a unique landscape. It is also home to Deokgu Hot Spring, the only naturally occurring hot spring in South Korea. The Deokgu Valley area is mainly composed of granite gneiss and granite, and andesite that has risen along cracks in these rocks and solidified is also found in various places. In Deokgu Valley, the flow of the river influenced by these rocks is well observed. The valley stream flows northeast and then turns eastward because a hard granite layer in the northern region makes it difficult for the stream to erode. In the eastern direction, there is abundant andesite developed along cracks, which is more easily eroded by flowing water than granite gneiss or granite, making it easier to form water channels. Yongso Falls, a famous attraction in Deokgu Valley, is a rounded waterfall formed with a gentle slope because granite gneiss is not easily eroded by the valley stream. <Source: Gyeongbuk East Coast Geopark>