| Hakkōda Mountains (八甲田山系 Hakkōda-sankei) | |
| Range | |
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The Hakkōda Mountains viewed from southeast.
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| 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 | |
| Biome | Alpine climate |
| Geology | Volcanic |
| Orogeny | Island arc |
| Plants | Fauria cristagalli, Drosera rotundifolia, Lysichiton camtschatcense, Abies mariesii, Siberian Dwarf Pine |
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]
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The highest peak in the range is Mount Ōdake, 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]
On January 23, 1902, 199 of the 210 members of the Imperial Japanese Army's IJA 8th Division's Fifth Infantry Group died during a blizzard that struck them while they were attempting to cross the Hakkōda Mountains from Aomori 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.
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]
The following is a list of peaks and their heights:[3]