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Geo-section in Kat Peak

Kat Peak is located in the east of Lake Chon, leaning towards Hyangdo Peak from the point between Ssangmujigae and Hyangdo peaks.

Its geologic section is an alluvial section of volcanic ejecta that erupted in different types.

It is a geosite of significance in volcanology, as it shows in a single section both the explosive eruption of yellow pumice, which was formed before the Millennium Eruption in Mt Paektu, and the effusive eruption of rhyolitic magma mixed with obsidian, black hyaline volcanic rock, which is called volcanic glass.

Tuff seen in the geo-section in Kat Peak contains volcanic detritus of trachyte, the previous ejecta, and the lumps of obsidian are found in the rhyolitic lava.

Geo-section near the Paektu Bridge

The geo-section near the Paektu Bridge shows the black ignimbrite which erupted in the form of glowing cloud and piled up after pumice accumulated during the Millennium Eruption. Here, glowing cloud means a cloud of hot volcanic ejecta which is a mixture of volcanic gas and ash and which covers the sky.

In the geo-section, the thickness of the pumice layer varies from place to place and is up to some metres. It clearly shows the order of volcanic eruptions. Around it there are buried trees whose upper parts were carbonized as they were buried in hot ejecta.

Paeksam-ri Cliff

Paeksam-ri Cliff is a geo-section showing the number of eruptions of basaltic lava at the first stage of the formation of Mt Paektu and the columnar jointing that formed during the cooling process of the lava.

Generally, jointing refers to cracks which appear at the time when igneous rocks are formed with magma as a source, and columnar jointing refers to the cracks which generate polygonal pillars during the process when lava cools and contracts.

Paeksam-ri Cliff is about 100 metres high, and here, you can see over ten unconformity phenomena.

The cliff is exposed in a section extending for over 150 metres.

Columnar Jointing at Poso-ri

Columnar Jointing at Poso-ri can be seen at Yongjang Peak volcano which is situated at the intersection between the Paektusan fault zone in the northwest 5 kilometres south of Mt Namphothae and the north-to-south Mt Pukphothae-Kwaksa Peak fault.

The cliff of the volcanic body has well-developed columnar jointing which was formed as the lava cooled. It is about 800 metres wide.

The peripheral part of the volcano which was formed by the eruption of a large amount of trachydacitic magma came off as a result of neotectonics, resulting in the present magnificent looks.

Columnar Jointing at Poso-ri is of great academic value in the study of the cooling process of the trachydacitic magma.