Taiwan is being simultaneously created and destroyed

Taiwan is the product of an ongoing collision in which a sliver of continental lithosphere has been sandwiched between the Chinese continental margin and the WNW verging Luzon volcanic arc. In the northern quarter of Taiwan collision has already occurred (5 million years ago), and is characterized by post-collisional extension and collapse. Continental margin, continental sliver, and island arc segments are unzippering along the sutures by which they were previously attached. The collision in central Taiwan is less mature (began 3 million years ago), and can be distinguished from northern and southern domains by more localized deformation and by active continental suturing. An earlier stage of collisional evolution is recorded in the southern quarter of Taiwan, where incipient collision and suturing of the three lithospheric blocks is taking place.