is a
volcanic crater lake
A volcanic crater lake is a lake in a crater that was formed by explosive activity or a collapse during a volcanic eruption.
Formation
Lakes in calderas fill large craters formed by the collapse of a volcano during an eruption. Lakes in maars ...
in northern
Honshū island,
Japan. It is also referred to as . Located in the
Shimokita Peninsula of
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the eas ...
, it is within the borders of the city of
Mutsu and
Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park.
Lake Usori is located in the volcanic Osorezan Mountains, of which the famed
Mount Osore
is the name of a Buddhist temple and folk religion pilgrimage destination in the center of remote Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The temple is located in the caldera of an active volca ...
forms one portion. From the surrounding
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...
walls, some ten streams drain into Lake Usori, but there is only one outlet, the 13.85 kilometer Shotsu River, which drains into the
Tsugaru Strait
The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles (1 ...
.
The lake is noted for the extreme acidity of its water, with an average
pH of around 3.4 to 3.8.
Geologists attribute this to
hydrogen sulfide seeping from the
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...
bottom, forming
sulfuric acid in the lake water. Due to its acidity, the lake is home to only one subspecies of
Japanese dace,
along with several insect species. However, the lake is a noted spot for waterfowl.
See Also
*
List of lakes in Japan
The list of lakes in Japan ranked by surface area.
1) For lakes in the Hokkaidō region, Subprefecture is listed
See also
*List of lakes by area
*List of lakes by depth
*List of lakes by volume
References
*The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infra ...
*
List of volcanoes in Japan
This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in Japan. An Orange background indicates a volcano considered active by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Hokkaido
Honshū
Izu Islands
Ogasawara Archipelago
The Ogasawara Archipelag ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Usori
Lakes of Japan
Calderas of Honshū
Volcanic crater lakes
Tourist attractions in Aomori Prefecture
Landforms of Aomori Prefecture
Mutsu, Aomori