tourism

Mt Paektu, the highest and ancestral mountain of Korea, is drawing more people for its unique geological phenomena and mysterious natural landscape.

Among the distinctive natural scenery of the Mt Paektu Geopark, volcanic-geological sites take the first place and therefore, Mt Paektu is of great scientific, educational and tourist significance. 

Mt Paektu is a huge bell-shaped compound volcano, which is rare to be found in the world. It was formed through the stages of shield volcano, stratified volcano and explosive eruption and through several eruptions of magma of different compositions.

The Millennium Eruption in Mt Paektu is known as one of the greatest volcanic eruptions in the past 2 000 years.

The mountain has Janggun Peak, Hyangdo Peak and Haeppal Peak volcanoes surrounding Lake Chon, and they are located in the places where radial fault and ring-shaped fault intersect. They well preserve eruption sections formed as a result of several rounds of volcanic eruptions.

The highest peak is Janggun Peak 2 750 metres above sea level. It has Janggun Peak laccolith, which vividly shows the rising course of magma. 

Hyangdo Peak volcano, which is situated in the east of Lake Chon on Mt Paektu, is 2 712 metres above sea level.

The volcano has volcanic rock formations, which were formed by several explosive and effusive eruptions of magma and the top is covered with white pumice to the thickness of 1-15 metres. At Hyangdo Peak, there is an autographic writing of Chairman Kim Jong Il which reads: “Mt Paektu, the sacred mountain of the revolution”.

The Tangyol Peak volcano (2 661m) and the Haeppal Peak volcano (2 719m), which are located in the south of the lake, were also formed by several effusive and explosive eruptions of magma. A columnar jointing peculiar to the effusive eruption of magma can be seen at the caldera wall of theTangyol Peak volcano and 17 flow patterns made by the flow of lava can be seen vividly in the southern slope of the Haeppal Peak volcano. 

The Ssangmujigae Peak volcano, which is situated in the east of Lake Chon on Mt Paektu, is 2 626 metres high. A volcano preserving the top intact, it unfolds a spectacle since it is covered with white pumice to the thickness of over 100 metres. 

On the other hand, Kat Peak is a geological section showing various forms of volcanic eruptions. It is of great significance in terms of volcano-geological study, education and tourism since it shows the explosive eruption of light yellow pumice before the eruption of white pumice from Mt Paektu and effusive eruption of obsidian rhyolite in a single cross section.