PREFECTURAL STONES OF JAPAN
The Geological Society of Japan has selected a rock, a mineral and a fossil that represent each of 47 Prefectures of Japan, and presented the selection list to the public on 10 May 2016, the Geology Day in Japan. Either geologically, industrially or historically important stones that occur in respective Prefectures are selected. The English version of the list is given below where Prefectures are arranged from North to South. This is an outreach action of the Society in commemoration of its 125th Anniversary that is expected in 2018. Other anniversary-related actions of the Society include cooperation for publication of "The Geology of Japan" (published by the Geological Society of London in April, 2016), support for the 10th International Earth Science Olympiad (20–27 August 2016 at Mie, Japan), and publication of a number of timely, comprehensive reviews on various fields of geological sciences in the Society's journals; "The Journal of the Geological Society of Japan" and "Island Arc". We hope international audience can get quick insights into geological richness of the archipelago and useful materials to make geological communication with its dwellers by the list of Prefectural Stones of Japan. The Geological Society of Japan Presidents: Akira Ishiwatari (2012–2013) Yasufumi Iryu (2014–2015) 県の石 Yoshio Watanabe (2016–present)
Prefecture (Capital) Rock (Place) Mineral (Place) Fossil (Place)
Peridotite [very fresh alpine-type mantle "Placer Platinum" [In fact, iridosmine; Cretaceous ammonites [Well preserved, lherzolite with garnet pseudomorphs washed out from highly refractory mantle ammonites, up to >1 m in diameter, are 1. Hokkaido (Sapporo) (spinel-pyroxene symplectites); peridotite and serpentinite of Horokanai abundantly found from the Cretaceous registered as UNESCO geopark in 2015] Ophiolite] (Central Hokkaido; Sorachi, forearc deposits] (Central Hokkaido, (Horoman, Samani) etc.) Sorachi, etc.)
"Nishiki Ishi" [iron-rich, red chalcedony; Rhodocrosite [mangan spar; pink "Aomori Mukashi Kujira 2. Aomori (Aomori) Miocene hydrothermal product] (Occurs manganese carbonate; Miocene Uo" [Miobarbourisia aomori; Miocene widely) hydrothermal product] (Oda Mine) whalefish] (Arakawa River, Aomori)
"Naumann Yama Momo" [Comptonia Siliceous mudstone [Miocene Onnagawa Kuroko deposits [Miocene massive naumanni; fossil plant (sweetfern) of 3. Akita (Akita) Formation, source rock of Akita oil field] sulfide ore formed around sea-floor Miocene Daijima Flora] (Occurs widely in (Oga Peninsula) vents] (Hokuroku area) this prefecture)
Serpentinite [Mantle section of Iron-rich skarn ore [provided enough iron Silurian corals [The first discovery of 4. Iwate (Morioka) Ordovician Ophiolite] (Mt. Hayachine, for Japan's modernization] (Kamaishi Silurian deposits in Japan was based on Kitakami Mts.) Mine) these fossils] (Hikoroichi, Ofunato)
Dacitic tuff [Basement rock of the "Soroban-dama Ishi" [Abacus-piece "Yamagata Kaigyu" [Dusisiren dewana; 5. Yamagata (Yamagata) Buddhist temple famous for Basho's chalcedony] (Oguni) Miocene sea cow] (Oe Town) haiku] (Yamadera, Yamagata)
Placer Gold [The oldest gold mine of "Utatsu Gyoryu" [Utatsusaurus hataii; the Permian slate [inkstone] (Toyoma Fm.; Japan in the 8th Century; contributed to earliest-known ichthyopterygian which 6. Miyagi (Sendai) Ogatsu, Ishinomaki and Tome) decorate Great Buddha in Nara] lived in the early Triassic] (Utatsu, (Nonodake, Wakuya) Minami-Sanriku)
Cretaceous Gneiss [Originated in Pegmatite minerals [quartz, feldspar, "Futaba Suzuki Ryu" [Futabasaurus 7. Fukushima (Fukushima) Jurassic accretionary complex] mica, tourmaline, etc.] (Ishikawa) suzukii; Cretaceous plesiosaurs] (Iwaki) (Abukuma Mts.)
Elbaite [Lithium tourmaline in lithium Stegolophodon [Miocene elephant] 8. Ibaraki (Mito) Cretaceous Granite (Mt. Tsukuba) pegmatite] (Mt. Myoken, Hitachi-Ota) (Hitachi-Omiya)
"Konoha Ishi" [Leaf Stone; Pleistocene "Oya Ishi" [Miocene green tuff, widely 9. Tochigi (Utsunomiya) Chalcopyrite (Ashio Copper Mine) plant fossils in lake deposits] (Shiobara, used for fence blocks] (Oya, Utsunomiya) Nasu)
"Oni Oshidashi Yogan" [Andesite block Realgar [Arsenic sulfide; Late Miocene "Yabe Otsuno Jika" [Sinomegaceros 10.Gunma (Maebashi) lava of Asama Volcano erupted in 1783] hydrothermal ore, an item of Shimonita yabei; Plio-Pleistocene giant deer] (Tsumagoi Village) Geopark] (Nishinomaki Mine, Shimonita) (Kamikuroiwa, Tomioka)
Schist [Cretaceous high pressure Stilpnomelane [Calcium-bearing mica- Paleoparadoxia [Miocene sea mammal 11.Saitama (Saitama) Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks] like mineral occurring in Sanbagawa (family Desmostylidae)] (Hannya, Ogano; (Nagatoro) schist] (Nagatoro) Onohara, Chichibu)
"Boshu Ishi" [Tuffaceous sandstone and Chibaite [silica clathrate including Molluscan shells in the Upper 12. Chiba (Chiba) granule conglomerate used as building methane and ethane] (Boso Peninsula; Pleistocene Kioroshi Shell Bed (Kioroshi, stones] (Nokogiriyama, Futtsu) Miocene accretionary complex) Inzai)