嘉義梅山太平聚落地形特徵與地名緣起之關係

The Relationship Between Geomorphological Features and the Toponymic Origins of the Taiping Settlement in Meishan, Chiayi

地名反映一地人類生活與環境互動的關係，本研究透過地質資料、地理資訊系統的地形與水系分析、計算集水區面積高度積分、野外調查等方式，探討嘉義梅山太平聚落地名與地形之關聯性。研究結果顯示太平聚落應位於一通谷地形中，有谷中分水與平坦河谷地的特徵。其次，南靖溪支流呈現倒鉤狀水系特徵，其面積高度積分值較高（0.45–0.59），面積高度積分曲線呈上凸形態，顯有較強侵蝕能力；而出水溪支流則呈下凹形曲線，值較低（0.41），代表侵蝕作用減弱。因此，本研究推論太平地區過去曾發生河川襲奪事件，古南靖溪襲奪古出水溪上游與其支流，使出水溪形成斷頭河，形成平坦地形面，故文獻所述「太平」得名自兩溪分水嶺脊的臺地面，此一說法並不符合地形特徵。

Place names often reflect the interactions between human societies and their natural environments. This study examines the relationship between toponymy and geomorphology in the Taiping settlement of Meishan Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan. Utilizing geological data, geomorphic and hydrological analyses through Geographic Information Systems (GIS), hypsometric integral calculations of sub-catchments, and field investigations, the results reveal that the Taiping settlement is situated within a through valley, characterized by intra-valley drainage divides and a flat alluvial valley floor. Tributaries of the Nanjing Creek display barbed drainage patterns and relatively high hypsometric integral values (0.45–0.59), with convex-shaped curves indicative of active erosion. In contrast, the tributary of the Chushui Creek exhibits a concave hypsometric curve and a lower hypsometric integral value (0.41), suggesting diminished erosional activity. These findings support the hypothesis of a historical river piracy event, wherein the ancestral Nanjing Creek captured the upper reaches and tributaries of the Chushui Creek, resulting in a beheaded stream and the development of a depositional surface suitable for human settlement. Consequently, the findings challenge the traditional interpretation that the name ''Taiping'' originated from a flat tableland on the drainage divide between the two rivers.