Mount Eniwa Explained

Mount Eniwa
Other Name:恵庭岳
Elevation M:1320
Elevation Ref:[1]
Listing:List of mountains and hills of Japan by height
Location:Hokkaidō, Japan
Range:Nasu Volcanic Zone
Coordinates:42.7933°N 141.2856°W
Map:Japan#Japan Hokkaido
Topo: 25000:1 恵庭岳, 50000:1 樽前山
Type:Stratovolcano
Age:Holocene
Volcanic Arc/Belt:Northeastern Japan Arc
Last Eruption:1707 ± 30[2]
Easiest Route:Hike

is an active[3] volcano located in Shikotsu-Toya National Park in Hokkaidō, Japan. It sits opposite Mount Tarumae and Mount Fuppushi on the shores of Lake Shikotsu, the caldera lake that spawned the volcanoes. Mount Eniwa is the tallest of the three volcanoes.

Eruptions

The last eruption occurred around the start of the 18th century (c. 1700 ±30 years). There are no historical records of this, but tephrochronology indicates phreatic explosions with mudflows from crater 3. Two centuries before this eruption (c. 1550 ±75 years), radiocarbon dating indicates a similar eruption from crater 2. Around the same time (c. 1500 ±150 years), radiocarbon dating indicates another eruption, but from crater 1. This eruption included debris avalanches instead of mudflows. The oldest eruption that has been dated is an explosive eruption from the east side of the summit around 100 BCE ± 100 years according to radiocarbon dating. All these events were central vent eruptions with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) of 2.[2]

Climbing Route

A single trail climbs the eastern side of the mountain. It gets progressively steeper as you climb. The trail starts in a forest about one 1km (01miles) from Poropinai. The treeline is at about 800m (2,600feet). From there the terrain is rocky and alpine. The climb takes 3-3.5 hours.[4] [5]

1972 Winter Olympics

At the 1972 Winter Olympics, Mount Eniwa was the site of the men's and women's downhill ski races.[6] The course started at the summit and finished on the southwest slope.[7] The technical events of giant slalom and slalom were held at Teine.

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.gsj.jp/database/vsidb/image/Eniwadake/aster_p1.html Geological Survey of Japan website
  2. 285040 . Eruptions . Shikotsu: Eruptive History . 2008-04-24.
  3. Paul Hunt, Hiking in Japan: An Adventurer's Guide to the Mountain Trails, pg. 179
  4. Paul Hunt, Hiking in Japan: An Adventurer's Guide to the Mountain Trails, pg. 181
  5. Robert Storey, North-East Asia on a Shoestring, pg. 327
  6. Web site: SHIKOTSU-KO. World Lakes Database. International Lake Environment Committee. 2008-12-02. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090416202431/http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/asi/asi-16.html. 2009-04-16.
  7. http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1972/orw1972.pdf 1972 Winter Olympics official report.