is a peninsula on the northern end of the Japanese island,

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...

, that stretches north into

Mutsu Bay is a bay located within Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. It has an east-west distance of approximately and a north-south distance of approximately at its eastern end, with a total area of approximately . ...

. Administratively the area is a part of Aomori Prefecture, and the bulk of the area falls within the jurisdiction of the town of

Hiranai ( ain, ピラナィ, piranay) is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. , the town had an estimated population of 10,460 in 4,860 households, and a population density of 48 persons per km². It i ...

, with

Aomori city is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...

on the western periphery of the landform. The peninsula has several small fishing communities scattered around the coastline, but most of the area's people live in the river valley that demarcates the southern boundary of the peninsula. The peninsula is notably an attractive nesting place for Siberian

tundra swan The tundra swan (''Cygnus columbianus'') is a small swan of the Holarctic. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species: Bewick's swan (''Cygnus bewickii'') of the Palaearctic and the w ...

Geography

The Natsudomari Peninsula is bordered by Mutsu Bay to the east and north and

Aomori Bay The is a bay located north of the island of Honshu, in Japan. It is considered to be part of the larger Mutsu Bay. Geography Aomori Bay is an inner bay located to the west of Natsudomari Peninsula that protrudes in the center of the southern coa ...

to the west. The peninsula is connected to the mainland of Honshū to the south. The Ōu Mountain Range begins on the peninsula and continues to the Nasu Mountains at the northern boundary of the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

. The peninsula lies near the geographic center of Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture of the main Japanese island, Honshū.

Geology

The oldest rock found on the Natsudomari Peninsula can be found exposed on Mount Higashidake, south-southeast of

Asamushi Onsen is the site of a hot spring, on the eastern edge of the city of Aomori (city), Aomori in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It was developed as the downtown beside the onsen town and is sometimes known as "Atami in Tohoku" after the famous Atami Onsen in ...

. The mountain's rock is

granodiorite Granodiorite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar. The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from gra ...

that was formed during the

Callovian In the geologic timescale, the Callovian is an age and stage in the Middle Jurassic, lasting between 166.1 ± 4.0 Ma (million years ago) and 163.5 ± 4.0 Ma. It is the last stage of the Middle Jurassic, following the Bathonian and preceding the ...

. The second oldest rock is a mixture of

Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...

chert Chert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a prec ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

known as the Tateishi Formation. The Tateishi Formation can be seen along the peninsula's east coast. These two formations make up the basement rock of the peninsula. The next layers of rock seen on the peninsula formed during the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

. These layers include

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomi ...

, tuff breccia, and a system of sills and

dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

left over from an

extinct volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

that was centered at Mount Sasamori, a foothill of Mount Mizugasawa. The volcano's dikes can be seen along the west coast of the peninsula. Layers from the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...

are mainly made up of sedimentary deposits and

tephra Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they rem ...

from Mount Iwaki. Several faults run south-north along the peninsula, while one fault runs east-west along the valley floor in the middle of the peninsula. The exact location of many of the faults are obscured by either recent sediment deposits or human activity, while some of the north-south faults can be observed in the peninsula's mountainous areas.

Notable places

Oshima Island from Natsudomari Peninsula

Notable places in the Natsudomari Peninsula include : *

Asamushi-Natsudomari Prefectural Natural Park is a Prefectural Natural Park on the north coast of Aomori Prefecture, Japan, overlooking Mutsu Bay. Established in 1953, the park spans the borders of the municipalities of Aomori and Hiranai. It encompasses Asamushi Onsen and the coastline o ...

- a

prefectural natural park and in Japan are places of scenic beauty designated for protection and sustainable usage by the Minister of the Environment under the of 1957. National Parks are designated and in principle managed by the Ministry of the Environment. Quasi-Nat ...

that encompasses

and the coastline of the peninsula. * Yogoshiyama Forest Park- a park run by the government of Hiranai that features skiing, onsen, gardens, and camping. * Asamushi Onsen- an onsen town and that is sometimes known as "

Atami is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 36,865 in 21,593 households and a population density of 600 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Atami is located in the far ea ...

in Tohoku". * Kominato Swan Nesting Shallow Shore- an area on the eastern shore of the peninsula where many

Tundra swan The tundra swan (''Cygnus columbianus'') is a small swan of the Holarctic. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species: Bewick's swan (''Cygnus bewickii'') of the Palaearctic and the w ...

s migrate from

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

to during the winter. * Ōshima- an island off the northern coast of the peninsula that is linked to it by a

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

. * Mount Mizugasawa - the highest mountain on the peninsula.

Transportation

Railway

Aoimori Railway Line The is a regional rail line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan that is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company. It connects the terminal station of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, Metoki Station, in the town of Sannohe to Aomori Station, the termi ...

Asamushi-Onsen Station is a railway station and major stop along the Aoimori Railway Line in the city of Aomori in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the third sector railway operator Aoimori Railway Company. Passenger trains serve the station 17 and a hal ...

Nishi-Hiranai Station is a railway station located in the western part of the town of Hiranai in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The station has been operating since 1939. Since 2010, the station has been operated by the Aoimori Railway Company, a third sector, regional ...

Kominato Station is a railway station of the Aoimori Railway Line located in the central district of the town of Hiranai in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The station has been operating since 1891, though the most recent station building, which consists of a side ...

, Shimizugawa Station, Karibasawa Station

Highway

* * Aomori Prefecture Route 9 - a scenic road known also as the "Hotate Line" that travels around the edge of the peninsula.

Transit

*Hiranai Town Bus *Aomori City Bus

References

External links

* {{Authority control Peninsulas of Japan Landforms of Aomori Prefecture

Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...

Tourist attractions in Aomori Prefecture