Magnetic silt from Guangfu makes unique ceramics

Magnetic silt from Guangfu makes unique ceramics

2025-12-23

Mud from the Matai’an River in Hualien is magnetic! Tests have confirmed that not only is the mud free of toxic metals, but it has iron-bearing minerals that are attracted by a magnet. Ceramist Chen Jin-wang first discovered the fine black sand that national institute researchers confirmed is magnetic. This silt can even be incorporated into ceramics to give them a distinctive characteristic.

When a magnet is put in this pile of sand from Hualien’s Guangfu Township, some of the sand sticks to the magnet. Its magnetism is a distinctive trait.

Chen Jin-wang
Ceramist
Why is the mud dug out by volunteers in Guangfu soft and mushy like grass jelly? This got me thinking about why it might be black, and then about how to prove that it might have to do with magnetic materials. I started using my magnet to try and attract it.

Over 6 million tons of black mud was deposited in Guangfu by the Matai’an River flood. Thousands of volunteers helped to clear the sludge away, and now a ceramist has discovered it’s magnetic. He also found that pieces fired with Guangfu sand have consistent, reliable glaze colors.

Chen Jin-wang
Ceramist
The glaze made by firing Guangfu sand is very stable. For those of us who work in ceramics, it’s common that you get a certain color in one firing, but can’t reproduce it the next day.

Chen Tien-li
NTCRI director
In the future, ceramics from Guangfu will have very vibrant colors. I think this is one of the most important parts of establishing a local brand: We need to find its originality.

The National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute said that Guangfu sand contains iron, which makes it paramagnetic and able to be attracted by a magnet. This material could be developed into uniquely Taiwanese ceramics.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#Guangfu #MataianRiver #flood #shovelheroes #ceramics #silt #magnetic #mud #sand #volunteers

不只有鏟子超人還有工藝超人光復砂具有"順磁性"含鐵礦物

2025-12-23

花蓮光復鄉馬太鞍溪淤泥，經檢測確認不含有毒重金屬，更重大的突破是，陶藝家陳金旺發現，這些黑色細砂，竟能被磁鐵吸起。國立臺灣工藝研究發展中心，進行礦物與元素分析證實，淤泥中含有，可被磁鐵吸附的順磁性含鐵礦物，未來可望發展成，具有台灣原創特色的陶藝產品。

拿起磁鐵吸附花蓮光復鄉出產的光復砂，可以看到這些砂牢牢的吸附在上面，瞬間從垃圾污泥，搖身成具有價值的黑金！

[[陶藝師陳金旺]]
“這個光復區的鏟子超人，他們挖出來的土，為什麼就像我們這個仙草一樣，整片的軟綿綿的，那這個讓我開始想起說，為什麼是黑色的，那後來我要去怎麼證明，它可能是我們的磁鐵礦有關，我就開始用我的磁鐵，去吸附看看”

花蓮光復鄉馬太鞍溪溢流，累積超過600萬噸黑色淤泥，多虧了鏟子超人幫忙剷除，如今更有工藝超人，發現它的獨特價值。陶藝師也發現，用光復砂燒製的作品，釉色穩定，不會變來變去。

[[陶藝師陳金旺]]
“光復砂它燒出來的釉色非常穩定，不然一般我們，從事陶藝工作的這些釉藥者，經常今天燒到這個顏色，明天可能燒不出來”

[[國立臺灣工藝研究發展中心主任陳殿禮]]
“未來在光復鄉所出產的陶藝的部分，就會有非常鮮明的色彩，我想這個都在做，建立一個地方品牌，非常重要的點，就是我們要找出它的原創”

臺灣工藝研究發展中心表示，光復砂雖然不屬於磁鐵礦，但因為含有鐵元素，因此能表現出微弱的順磁性，可以被磁鐵吸附，除了可以開發成具有台灣原創性的陶藝品，也有機會應用在建材。

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