Mt. Apoi UNESCO Global Geopark

鈥淎 story of gifts from deep inside the Earth connecting land and people together鈥

Celebrating Earth Heritage

Hokkaido's backbone is the Hidaka Mountains with 1,500- to 2,000-meter peaks running 150 km from north to south. Mt. Apoi UNESCO Global Geopark is at the southwestern end of this range in Samani. 92% of the UNESCO Global Geopark is forestland. The Apoi Mountains (Mt. Apoi: 810 m; Mt. Pinneshiri: 958 m) run north to south in the eastern part of it. Hilly terrain of Cretaceous Period formations stretches over the western part of the UNESCO Global Geopark, with settlements located along the coastline. Many intrusive rock monoliths characterize the coast. Mount Apoi is 810 meters high and located in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of the Japanese Archipelago. The name Mount Apoi derives from the language of the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido. The most distinctive feature of Mt. Apoi UNESCO Global Geopark is its peridotites from the Earth's mantle. The Hidaka Mountains formed from a collision between two continental plates 13 million years ago. Part of the mantle under the crust was thrust up onto the Earth's surface to form the Horoman peridotite complex, which includes Mount Apoi. The pure peridotites on and around the mountain contain valuable information about the Earth's mantle, making them the subject of global attention. Mt. Apoi UNESCO Global Geopark provides geological information on plate collision, oddly shaped masses made of cooled and solidified magma, and rocks from far-off southern seas.

Characteristics

Designation date
2015
Country(ies)
Transnational
No
Area (ha)
36,430
Population
4,045
Density
11
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