Hidaka Mountains

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Hidaka Mountains (日高山脈 hidaka-sanmyaku)
Range
Mountains, taken from the ISS on Feb. 22, 2003
Name origin: sun high
Country	Japan
State	Hokkaidō
Regions	Hidaka Subprefecture, Tokachi Subprefecture
Districts	Hidaka District, Hokkaidō, Hiroo District, Hokkaidō, Horoizumi District, Hokkaidō, Kamikawa (Tokachi) District, Hokkaidō, Kasai District, Hokkaidō, Niikappu District, Hokkaidō, Samani District, Hokkaidō, Saru District, Hokkaidō, Urakawa District, Hokkaidō
Municipality	Obihiro, Hokkaidō
Range	Hidaka
Highest point	Mount Poroshiri
- elevation	2,052.4 m (6,734 ft)
- coordinates	42°43′9″N 142°40′58″E / 42.71917, 142.68278
Length	150 km (93 mi), north to south
Biome	alpine climate
Geology	Fold (geology)
Period	late Quaternary
Plant	Callianthemum miyabeanum
Animal	Brown Bear, Sika Deer, Northern Pika

Hidaka Mountains (日高山脈, hidaka-sanmyaku) is a mountain range in southeastern Hokkaidō, Japan. It runs 150 km from Mount Sahoro in central Hokkaidō south, running into the sea at Cape Erimo. It consists of folded mountains that range from 1500 to 2000 meters in height. Mount Poroshiri is the highest at 2052m. The Hidaka mountains separate the subprefectures of Hidaka and Tokachi. Most of the range lies in the Hidaka Sanmyaku-Erimo Quasi-National Park (日高山脈襟裳国定公園, hidaka-sanmyaku erimo kokudeikōen). Because the mountain range lies so far north, the alpine climate zone lies at a lower altitude. Mount Apoi is known for endemic alpine plant life, such as Callianthemum miyabeanum (ヒダカソウ, Hidaka-sō^?). The Hidaka mountains are also one of last refuges of the Hokkaidō Bear (Ursus arctos yesoensis) and Hokkaidō Deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis).

[edit] Geology

The Hidaka mountains formed in the late Quaternary as part of the outer arc of the western end of the Kurile arc^[1]. They were formed by the uplift resulting from the collision with the Kurile arc and the Northeast Japan arc^[2]. The Hidaka mountains no longer appear to be uplifting.^[3]

The western end of the range is high P/T metamorphoseed Jurassic accretionary complex as part of the Kamuikotan belt. This is characterized by sedimentary rocks from the Cretaceous and Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous periods. The eastern end of the range is tertiary metamorphic rock as part of the Hidaka Metamorphic belt. This is characterized by low to medium pressure metamorphic rocks with sedimentary rocks from the Cretaceous-Lower Miocene. Plutonic rocks intrude into these structures.^[4][5] For the most part, the Hidaka mountains are composed of schists, migmatites, gneisses, and granites.^[6]

[edit] Glaciation

The Hidaka mountains are the only mountains in Hokkaidō to show evidence of glaciation. This occurs above 1,400 metres (4,600 ft)^[7], where one can find moraines and more than 20 cirques from Mount Kitatottabetsu in the north to Mount Toyoni in the south.^[8]

[edit] List of passes and tunnels

The major passes and tunnels through the Hidaka Mountains are as follows:

• Hidaka Pass
• Karikachi Pass
• Nisshō Pass and tunnel
• Nozuka pass and tunnel

[edit] List of peaks

Mountains in the Hidaka range include:

[edit] External links

• (Japanese) Hidaka Mountain Museum

[edit] References

• Google Maps
• Northern Road Navi
• Hokkaipedia
• GLGarcs, H. Nishiwaki, Introduction to the landforms and geology of Japan, 2006, last access 25 April 2008.
• Paul Hunt, Hiking in Japan: An Adventurer's Guide to the Mountain Trails, Tokyo, Kodansha International Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-87011-893-5 and ISBN4-7700-1393-0 C0075
• Shyun Umezawa, Yasuhiko Sugawara, and Jun Nakagawa, Hokkaidō Natsuyama Gaido 4: Hidaka Sanmyaku no Yamayama (北海道夏山ガイド4日高山脈の山やま), Sapporo, Hokkaidō Shimbunshya, 1991. ISBN 4-89363-605-7

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Coordinates: 43°8′44″N, 142°59′11″E