Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group

Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group
北八ヶ岳 Kita-Yatsugatake

Mount Shibagare, Mount Yoko, and Mount Tateshina (October 2006)
Highest point
Peak Mount Tengu
Elevation 2,646 m (8,681 ft)
Coordinates 36°01′09″N 138°21′20″E / 36.01917°N 138.35556°E / 36.01917; 138.35556Coordinates: 36°01′09″N 138°21′20″E / 36.01917°N 138.35556°E / 36.01917; 138.35556
Naming
Etymology Northern Mountains with eight peaks
Geography
Country Japan
State Nagano Prefecture
Region Chūbu
Districts Kitasaku and Minamisaku District, Nagano
Parent range Yatsugatake Mountains
Borders on Southern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group
Biome Alpine climate
Geology
Orogeny Island arc
Age of rock Quaternary
Type of rock Volcanic

Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group (北八ヶ岳 Kita-Yatsugatake) is a volcanic group of stratovolcanoes and lava domes[1] located in Nagano Prefecture on Honshū in Japan.

Description

The Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group is part of the Yatsugatake Mountains. The northern group is defined as the mountains from Mount Futago to Natsuzawa Pass. The highest peak of the mountains is Mount Tengu and the elevation is 2,646 metres.

The southern Yatsugatake mountains are steep and have alpine characteristics. The mountains of the Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group are gentler and lower.

Yatsugatake is listed among the 100 famous mountains in Japan, but this refers to the Southern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group. Mount Tateshina is also mentioned as one of the 100 famous mountains, and it is part of the Northern Yatsugatake mountains, but is listed separately.

These mountains are part of the Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Park.[2]

Geology and volcanic activity

The volcanoes are stratovolcanos that are 1 million to 200,000 years old. The rock is mainly basalt, dacite, and andesite. Mount Yoko has shown the most recent activity and is now considered an active volcano. It last erupted about 800 years ago.[3] In 888 a debris avalanche on the East side of the volcanic massif caused Lake Matsubara to form. The Tateshina-kogen plateau was formed by a large lava flow.[1]

List of peaks

The following peaks, from North to South, make up the Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group:[1][3]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mt. Yatsugatake.
  1. 1 2 3 4 "Kita Yatsuga-take". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  2. 八ヶ岳中信高原国定公園. Japan Integrated Biodiversity Information System (in Japanese). Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  3. 1 2 "KITA YATSU-GA-TAKE (TATESHINA-YAMA, YOKO-DAKE etc.)". Quaternary Volcanoes of Japan. Geological Survey of Japan, AIST. 2006. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
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