The , commonly called Mount Zaō, are a complex cluster of

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

es on the border between

Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...

and

Miyagi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The central volcano of the group includes several

lava dome In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular, mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions ...

s and a tuff cone, Goshiki-dake, which contains a crater lake named " Okama". Also known as the "Five Color Pond" ( 五色沼, ''goshiki numa'') because it changes color depending on the weather, it lies in a

crater A crater is a landform consisting of a hole or depression (geology), depression on a planetary surface, usually caused either by an object hitting the surface, or by geological activity on the planet. A crater has classically been described ...

formed by a volcanic eruption in the 1720s. The lake is in diameter and deep, and is one of the main tourist attractions in the area. One striking feature of Zaō's famous ski resorts are the "frost-covered trees" ( 樹氷, juhyō) that appear in mid-winter. Strong wind over the nearby lake fling water droplets which freeze against the trees and their branches, until near-horizontal icicles begin to form. Falling snow settles on the ice formations, and the end result is a grotesque figure of a tree. The effect of a full forest of such trees gives visitors a ghostly impression. Zaō is one of the

100 Famous Japanese Mountains is a book written in 1964 by Mountaineering, mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan ...

. ''Rotaria rotatoria'' and ''Pinnularia spp.'' are found in the acidic Okama Lake. File:Zao Volcano Relief Map, SRTM-1.jpg, Relief Map File:Zao 2006 Sanctuary.jpg, Okama Crater File:Aerial photo of Okama, the crater lake of Mt. Zaō in 1976.jpg, Okama Crater File:Zao snow monsters.jpg, Snow monsters File:Mount Zao Winter Miyagi 12 Feb 2021.jpg, View from Mount Zao in winter File:Mount Zaō 3D, Japan.gif, A 3D rendering

References

External links

*
Zaozan
- Japan Meteorological Agency * - Japan Meteorological Agency * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zao Mountains of Yamagata Prefecture Mountains of Miyagi Prefecture Volcanoes of Honshū Active volcanoes Complex volcanoes Volcanic crater lakes Volcanoes of Yamagata Prefecture Volcanoes of Miyagi Prefecture

See also

References

External links