(Note) Major events in the history of the Earth Living together with the land and How was Sanriku created? History of the land of Sanriku Main geosites A long time ago, How were the marine How were the sawtooth-shaped From 2.59 million years ago sea of Sanriku Homosapiens appear Let’s go! Sanriku was actually terraces formed? (also known as ‘rias’) Stalactite caves…Uchimagido Cave [Kuji City], A Geopark is an outdoor museum where you can experience 1 2 3 Rokando Cave [Sumita Town] at the bottom of the sea! coastlines formed? Marine terraces… living as a human in symbiosis with nature’s combination of Ono kaiseidankyu (Ono coastal terrace) [Hirono Town], bountifulness and harshness The land of Sanriku traces its long history back to about 500 million years ago when Marine terraces are formed when a flat area After the glacial period, the ocean level Kurosaki [Fudai Village] Let’s try! The sea filling Sawtooth coastline…Yamada Bay [Yamada Town], it was formed, but it was almost entirely created at the bottom of the sea. is created on the ocean bottom by the erosion rose, and when the valleys of the land were into valleys Namiita Coast [Otsuchi Town] Sanriku, facing the Japan Trench, where the Pacific tectonic plate subducts, Fossilized coral, ammonites and sea lilies that can be found in limestone and action of waves, after which they appear on land flooded, they formed the sawtooth (rias) Singing sand…[Hachinohe City], Quaternary Period is an important area because, as the so called origin point of the Japanese sandstone are organisms that lived in the sea. Almost all of the sand, mud and the rocks due to upheavals and a lowering of the ocean coastlines. These are often seen in the southern Kukunakihama [Kesennuma City], created from materials ejected by submarine volcanoes, accumulated in the ocean. level. The marine terraces created hundreds to part of Sanriku, and although land formations Shiofukiana (Tide spouting hole)…[Miyako City], Kurosaki MAP:4-D archipelago, it contains a continuous record of the 500 million years of the land. Shiofukiiwa (Tide spouting rocks) [Kesennuma City] Also, it is a region that has experienced several historically notable strong The rocks that were create on the ocean floor appeared on the ground due to tens of thousands of years ago can be seen with many capes and inlets can increase the earthquakes and the resulting tidal waves, including the Tohoku Earthquake changes in the Earth’s crust and plate movements. throughout the Sanriku coast, and these risen height of tidal waves, the area inside calm 23 million years ago to 2.59 million years ago and Tsunami in March 2011 (the 3.11 Disaster). It is our mission to communi- flat areas have been used for cattle farming and bays is suitable for the aquaculture cultivation Formation of the Japanese archipelago, the birth of humanity other purposes. of oysters and other shellfish. Sanriku cate to future generations about the activities of previous generations in face of ❶ Eruption of submarine Neogene Period Neogene these natural disasters, and our experiences of the 3.11 disaster. Era Cenozoic ❷ Formation of coral reefs volcanoes In 2013, the Sanriku Geopark received certification from the Japan Geoparks 66 million years ago to 23 million years ago Network as a learning center to teach future generations about the history of the Kitayamazaki MAP:4-E Mammals flourish Earth and to pass down the memories of the area’s natural disasters. Jodogahama…[Miyako City] ❸ Pelagic sediment We wish to love, protect and ultimately live in harmony with Sanriku’s land ❹ Accretionary Trench Hundreds to tens of thousands of years ago Present day The ancient Geopark Map and ocean waters. prism ocean surface Marine terrace Karakuwa Peninsula Oreishi MAP:3-K Mixture of ❶ – ❸ Oceanic plate What’s required of a Geopark The soft portion of the upper mantle The ancient Sandy beach Period Paleogene e beautiful land and sea of ocean surface A Geopark features not only amazing geological The present day Upheaval Jodogahama MAP:4-G Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi sights, but it also must engage in activities to help local ocean surface Bedrock Yamada Bay MAP:4-H residents nurture an understanding of the animals and Sediment 145 million years ago to 66 million years ago plants that live on the land, the climate and natural Angiospermous plants flourish features, as well as the history and culture of the people The birth of Sanriku Amber…[Kuji City] who share that land. Haipe and Koikorobe (unique rock outcroppings)…[Tanohata Village] Hayachine-usuyukiso e southern Kitakami e northern Kitakami mountains e variety of landscapes Moshiryu fossil site…[Iwaizumi Town] (Leontopodium hayachinense) From the east Horaijima Island…[Otsuchi Town] mountains used to be near were created by a mixture of created by magma activity Granodiorite…[Hashikami Town] 1 2 3 Mining resources… e Geopark philosophy Northern Kitakami mountains the equator oceanic accumulations Remains of molybdenum mine [Kuji City], (Northern Kitakami belt) Remains of the Noda Tamagawa Mine The daily life and culture of the local residents Human activity The Kitakami mountain area is divided into About 320 to 140 million years ago, the northern part of The northern and southern geological formations which [Noda Village], Mount Hashikamidake MAP:3-B Mount Hayachine north and south in the Mount Hayachine area, and the Kitakami mountains were formed when the accumulation were created in totally different environments met about 110 Period Cretaceous Kamaishi Mine [Kamaishi City], Plants and animals that were Nature the formation of the land in each area is very on the deep ocean floor and submarine mountains were million years ago due to the movement of the tectonic plates. Remains of the Otani Mine & Shishiori gold mine [Kesennuma City] H Anatoshi-iso (pierced rocks)…[Ofunato City] ay different. moved by the plates on which they rested, which was then After that, the beautiful landscapes that define Sanriku, grown on each of the land masses (A wide variety of ecosystems) ac Site of Omoto plant fossils…[Iwaizumi Town] hin e About 400 million years ago, the southern part pushed up against the continent’s land from about 180 million such as the Tanesashi Coast (Map:3-A), the Kosode Coast t Kabushima Island…[Hachinohe City] e Land (A wide variety of geological c t Formation of various land masses o of the Kitakami mountains were part of the Gond- years ago and then became part of it. In this way, geological (Map:4-D) and Jodogahama Beach (Map:4-G), were born from features and geographic formations) n i c wana continent which was located near the formations comprising a complex mixture of material accumu- the rocks created by large-scale magma activity. b 201 million years ago to 145 million years ago e l present day equator, and after they separated from lated in the sea from various locations and depths were t Giant dinosaurs flourish, e climate of Sanriku is strongly associated with the history of the land. the continent, they were carried north by plate formed. avian species appear Southern Kitakami mountains movement. Haratai intermingled rocks…[Miyako City] History and Tradition Sea winds Era Mesozoic Toyomane River chert clastic rock sequence… (Southern Kitakami belt) [Yamada Town] Animals From the south 440 million years ago to 250 million years ago 320 million years ago to 140 million years ago 140 million years ago to 120 million years ago Flourishing of Paleozoic era organisms Movement of the oceanic plates The land changes violently as north and south meet Period Jurassic Plants Origin of Toyomane River MAP:4-H the southern Even after separating from Origin of In the ocean on the opposite side The current formation Scenic beauty Tidal waves Kitakami belt the continent, the region that the northern of the continent, a wide variety of of north and south Kitakami Kitakami belt Changes in the Stalactite caves includes the present-day south- marine sediment had accumulated on belts is nearly completed. 252 million years ago to 201 million years ago ancient organisms Fossils ern Kitakami mountain range the ocean floor and was transported At the time, it was at the Age of the dinosaurs begins, layer Disaster prevention Blessings from the ocean mammals appear was still near the equator, and by movements in the oceanic plates. eastern edge of the Asian continent. Magma was very Pillow lava & slickenside rocks…[Kuji City] coral and trilobites flourished. Misaki…[Kesennuma City] Fluctuations of the ground The Gondwana active across the entire Mining resources mega-continent Kitakami mountain range. Unicchi Triassic Period Triassic Misaki MAP:3-K Shin-Aomori 299 million years ago to 252 million years ago Tsugaru Expressway Aomori e History of Tsunami Disasters in Sanriku Touring Sanriku’s Geoparks Geoparks Have Bountiful Fossils Plate Boundary-Type Earthquakes are Birth of the Pangaea mega-continent Access P-T boundary layer…[Iwaizumi Town] Jogan Earthquake July 9, 869 Hachinohe-Kuji Expressway Ogama and Oreishi, Hanzo, (Hachinohe-Hashikami) As of March 2015 Example Driving Routes and Mining Resources Trigger Mechanism for Large Earthquakes Keicho Sanriku Earthquake December 2, 1611 Dairiseki Coast…[Kesennuma City] Aomori Pref Hachinohe Site of Permian period fossils… Meiji Sanriku Earthquake June 15, 1896 21, 959 dead Yahagi Town [Rikuzentakata City], 45 In the off-shore waters of the Sanriku region, warm currents and cold currents meet, allowing The world’s largest tectonic plate, the Pacific plate, subducts under the Japan Trench, just off Showa Sanriku Earthquake March 3, 1933 3, 064 dead and missing Iwaisaki [Kesennuma City] Ninohe Hachinohe-Kuji for a wide variety of organisms to thrive, while inland area is blessed with bountiful mining resources the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region, and it continues to subduct even now.