Mount Oakan Explained

Mount Oakan
Elevation M:1370.4
Listing:List of mountains and hills of Japan by height
Location:Hokkaidō, Japan
Range:Akan Volcanic Complex
Coordinates:43.4517°N 144.1647°W
Topo:Geographical Survey Institute 25000:1 雄阿寒岳
50000:1 阿寒湖
Map:Japan#Japan Hokkaido
Type:Stratovolcano, Lava dome
Age:Late Pleistocene-Holocene
Volcanic Arc/Belt:Kuril arc
Last Eruption:2008

is a stratovolcano located in Akan National Park in Hokkaidō, Japan.

Geography and geology

Mount Oakan sits in the Akan caldera northeast of Lake Akan. The volcano rises some 900m (3,000feet) above the surrounding terrain. The top of the volcano is 1370m (4,500feet) above sea level. The volcanic cone is some 8km (05miles) in diameter. There are three explosion craters at the summit. At at about 800m (2,600feet), there is a fumarole. The volcano is made mostly from non-alkali mafic volcanic rock. The main rock type is andesite and dacite.

History

Mount Oakan emerged in the Late Pleistocene dropping pumice on Minamishikata. After that, continuous lava flows formed the bulk of the volcano. In the final stages of its life, a parasitic volcano formed a lava dome at the summit.[1]

According to its name and local legend, Mount Oakan is the male counterpart to Mount Meakan on the other side of Lake Akan.[2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/strata/VOL_JP/dic/218e.htm. ja:雄阿寒岳火山. Saitō. Hiroshi. 1996. 新版 地学事典. 平凡社. Japanese. 2008-10-10.
  2. Book: Hunt, Paul. Hiking in Japan: An Adventurer's Guide to the Mountain Trails. Kodansha International. Tokyo and New York. 1988. First. 195–200. 32: Climbing an Active Volcano: Meakan-dake (雌阿寒岳). 0-87011-893-5.