Mount Paektu

About

Mount Paektu or Mount Baekdu is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. In China, it is known as Changbai Mountain. At 2,744 m (9, 003 ft), it is the tallest mountain in North Korea and Northeast China and the tallest mountain of the Baekdu-daegan and Changbai mountain ranges. The highest peak, called Janggun Peak, belongs to North Korea. The mountain notably features a caldera that contains a large crater lake called Heaven Lake, which serves as the source of the Songhua, Tumen, and Yalu rivers. Korean and Manchu people assign a mythical quality to the mountain and its lake, and consider the mountain to be their ancestral homeland. The mountain's caldera was formed by an eruption in 946 that released about 100–120 km3 (24–29 cu mi) of tephra. It was among the largest and most powerful eruptions on Earth in the last 5,000 years. The volcano last erupted in 1903, and is expected to erupt roughly once every hundred years. In the 2010s, concerns over an upcoming eruption prompted several countries to commission research into when the volcano might next erupt. The mountain is considered culturally important to multiple groups in the area, including Korean, Chinese, and Manchu people. The mountain is a major national symbol for both North and South Korea, and is mentioned in both national anthems and depicted on the national emblem of North

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.