Chen's interest was piqued when he read an Yushan National Park introduction to the lake, which noted that it was an oval pit about 120 meters deep and 80 meters wide, with banks composed of shattered black and brown rocks.
當初陳肇夏所長是閱讀玉山國家公園出版的介紹書籍，看到湖面長約 120 公尺、寬約 80 公尺的嘉明湖，外觀呈規則橢圓形坑穴，湖畔又滿佈黑褐色碎石灘，才引發他一探究竟的好奇心。