JP040Lake Towada, Mount Hakkoda

Site Description

Forest

Towadako, which is located in the center of Aomori Prefecture, is a double caldera lake formed by repeated volcanic activities of Towada Volcano that started about 200,000 years ago. The Oirase gorge is the only river that originates from Lake Towadako. The valley is well developed, deeply eroding the tuffaceous ignimbrite floor.

The Hakkoda Renpo (mountains) are roughly devided into two parts, Northern Hakkoda Volcanos with Mt. Ohdake, Mt. Takadaohdake and Mt. Akakura and Southern Hakkoda Volcanos with Mt. Kushigamine, Mt. Komagamine and Mt. Norikura. The Hakkodarenpo includes about twenty volcanos in the northern and southern areas.

The vegetation of the site has deciduous broadleaf trees such as Fagus crenata , Cercidphyllum japonicum, Acer mono Maxim and Aesculus turbinata at an altitude below 900 m, and the alpine tree community with Abies mariesii and Pinus pumila at higher altitudes.

As for animals, those of southern lineages and northern ones are coexisting because the site is close to the Blakiston line. Particularly noted species are Japanese serow and stoat for mammals and Black Woodpecker and Rudy Kingfisher for birds.

Area & Coordinates

49,000ha 40°37′N 140°53′E
region: Tohoku

Category

A3

Designation Type

National Park, Wildlife Protection Area (government)

Protection Status

Protected

Conservation issues

• Unknown