tourism

The stone river on Mt Okryon, a natural monument in Pujon County of South Hamgyong Province, is located in the upper reaches of the river valley flowing down the southwestern slope of the mountain.

Mt Okryon rises 2 164 metres above sea level in the southern part of the Puksubaek Mountains.

The stone river on Mt Okryon was formed in the period from about 120 000 to 6 000 years ago, the last Ice Age, as some of the masses of rocks which had formed a stone sea on top of the mountain moved along the river valley, showing the marvellous trick of nature.

The stone river starts at a point about 1 850 metres above sea level and ends at a point 1 460 metres. It is 120 metres wide and 700 metres long and its surface gradient is about 10 degrees. Visitors cannot see the water as it flows beneath the stones, but hear the sound of the water.

Stones are piled up 4-5 metres thick on average and 15-20 metres thick at the valley.

The edges of the stones are worn a bit. The stones are irregular in shape and cubes or plates of different sizes. The stone river is about 2 kilometres long when the part covered with plants is added.

In the upper part of the river there are several tower-shaped stones created by frost weathering along the ridge of Mt Okryon. They are 20-28 metres high and 25-35 metres wide at the bottom.

The stone river, which adds beauty to the mountain scenery, is of academic significance in the study of mountain glacier.