is a

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), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

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 ...

located off the coast of Hokkaidō,

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 ...

in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

. It rises out of the

forming

Rishiri Island is a volcanic island in the Sea of Japan off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan. Administratively the island is part of Hokkaido Prefecture, and is divided between two towns, Rishiri and Rishirifuji. The island is formed by the cone-shaped extinct ...

. Because its cone shape resembles

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

it is sometimes referred to as Rishiri Fuji. It is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan. Mount Rishiri's opening festival is held annually on July 2 and July 3. This festival officially opens the climbing season.

Geology

Mount Rishiri is made up of

alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The a ...

and non-alkali mafic

volcanic rock Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and me ...

dating from the

Late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as the Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division ...

, 130,000–18,000 years ago. Otherwise it is covered in

volcanic rock debris.

Climbing route

The ascent of Rishiri is challenging in places and not suitable for novice hikers. There is a campsite partway up the mountain from the dock, and an unmanned hut located a short distance below the summit. There is also a small shrine at the summit. On clear days the view extends to Hokkaidō, the adjacent island of Rebun, and as far as Sakhalin Island in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

In popular culture

The package of Shiroi Koibito cookies includes a picture of Mount Rishiri arranged in the centre.

Gallery

File:Rishiriislandairplane.jpg,

File:130726 Mount Rishiri view from Oshidomari Port in Rishiri Island Hokkaido Japan01s5.jpg, Mount Rishiri view from Oshidomari Port File:Mt. Rishiri peak.JPG, The summit of Mt. Rishiri taken from just below

References

External links

Rishirizan
- Japan Meteorological Agency * - Japan Meteorological Agency

- Geological Survey of Japan * Mountains of Hokkaido Stratovolcanoes of Japan Volcanoes of Hokkaido Highest points of Japanese national parks Pleistocene stratovolcanoes Holocene stratovolcanoes {{Hokkaido-geo-stub