Hakkōda Mountains

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Hakkōda Mountains
(八甲田山系 Hakkōda-sankei)
Range
Country Japan
State Aomori Prefecture
Region Tōhoku
Municipalities Aomori, Hirakawa, Kuroishi, Towada
Range Ōu Mountains
Parts Northern Hakkōda Volcanic Group, Southern Hakkōda Volcanic Group
Highest point Mount Ō
 - elevation 1,585 m (5,200 ft)
 - coordinates 40°39′22″N 140°52′51″E / 40.65611°N 140.88083°E / 40.65611; 140.88083
Biome Alpine climate
Geology Volcanic
Orogeny Island arc
Plants Fauria cristagalli, Drosera rotundifolia, Lysichiton camtschatcense, Abies mariesii, Siberian Dwarf Pine
The statue of Corporal Fusanosuke Gotō, who survived the military training at Hakkōda in 1902

The Hakkōda Mountains (八甲田山系 Hakkōda-sankei?) is a volcanic mountain range that lies to the south of Aomori city in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The range consists more than a dozen stratovolcanoes and lava domes arranged into two volcanic groups.[1] The Northern Hakkōda Volcanic Group emerges from the rim of a 8-km wide caldera that dates back to the Pleistocene.[1] The Southern Hakkōda Volcanic Group predates the caldera.[2]

Contents

[edit] Description

The highest peak in the range is Mount Ō, which can be climbed from Sukayu Onsen in about four hours. Heavy snowfall makes Hakkoda a prime destination for backcountry and mountain skiers, and there are two mountain huts for overnight trips. The lower slopes of the mountains are forested interspersed with moorland. Above 1300 meters[3], the Alpine climate zone starts.

The Hakkōda Mountains, along with Lake Towada and the Oirase Valley make up the Towada-Hachimantai National Park.[3]

[edit] Disaster of the Fifth Infantry Group

Main article: Hakkōda Mountains incident

On January 23, 1902, 199 of the 210 members of the Fifth Infantry Group died during a blizzard that struck them while they were attempting to cross the Hakkōda Mountains from Aomori City in a military training exercise. The exercise was meant to gather experience in dealing with winter weather. Japan was preparing for a possible conflict with the Russian Empire in Siberia and Manchuria, which eventually was realized as the Russo-Japanese War.[3] Corporal Fusanosuke Gotō managed to get help for the beleaguered unit. The story is recounted in Death March on Mount Hakkōda: A Documentary Novel, by Japanese author Jirō Nitta.

[edit] Geology

The volcanic peaks are made of non-alkali mafic rock[4]; mostly andesite, dacite, and basalt.[2] Although both groups of mountains formed in the Pleistocene, the southern group is older than the northern group. The southern group is made from rock that is 700,000 to 1,700,000 years old, while the northern group is made from rock that is 13,000 to 700,000 years old.[4]

[edit] List of peaks

The following is a list of peaks and their heights:[3]

  • Northern Group:
    • Mount Ō (大岳 Ō-dake?) 1585 m
    • Mount Takada-Ō (高田大岳 Takada-Ō-dake?) 1552 m
    • Mount Ido (井戸岳 Ido-dake?)[1] 1537 m
    • Mount Akakura (赤倉岳 Akakura-dake?) 1521 m
    • Mount Ko (小岳 Ko-dake?) 1478 m
    • Mount Iō (硫黄岳 Iō-dake?) 1360 m
    • Mount Tamoyachi (田茂萢岳 Tamoyachi-dake?) 1324 m
    • Mount Mae (前嶽 Mae-dake?) 1251.7 m
    • Mount Hina (雛岳 Hina-dake?) 1240.3 m
    • Mount Ishikura (石倉岳 Ishikura-dake?) 1202 m
    • Mount Tsurugi
  • Southern Group:
    • Kushi Summit (櫛ヶ峯 Kushi-ga-mine?) 1516.5 m
      • Includes Mount Kami (上岳 Kami-dake?) 1516.5 m and Mount Shimo (下岳 Shimo-dake?) 1342 m
    • Mount Norikura (乗鞍岳 Norikura-dake?) 1450 m
    • Koma Summit (駒ヶ峯 Koma-ga-mine?) 1416 m
    • Mount Sarukura (猿倉岳 Sarukura-dake?) 1353.6 m
    • Mount Yoko (横岳 Yoko-dake?) 1339.4 m
    • Mount Akakura (赤倉岳 Akakura-dake?) 1290 m
    • Mount Minamizawa (南沢岳 Minamizawa-dake?) 1198.8 m
    • Mount Sakasagawa (逆川岳 Sakasagawa-dake?) 1183 m

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "Hakkoda Group" (in English). Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0803-28=. Retrieved 2008-09-13. 
  2. ^ a b "HAKKODA Caldera" (in English). Quarternary Volcanoes of Japan. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. 2006. http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/strata/VOL_JP/EN/vol/154a.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-13. 
  3. ^ a b c d Hunt, Paul (1988). "27. Hakkōda Mountains" (in English). Hiking in Japan: An Adventurer's Guide to the Mountain Trails (First Edition ed.). Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International. pp. 172–175. ISBN 0-87011-893-5. 
  4. ^ a b "Northern Tohoku" (in English). Seamless digital geological map of Japan 1:200,000. Geological Survey of Japan, AIST. May 12, 2007. http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/db084/TohokuNzoom_e.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
Stub icon This Aomori location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakk%C5%8Dda_Mountains"