Hagi’s Geological Origins
In ancient times, Japan was a part of the Eurasian continent. Over millions of years, a landmass at the edge of the continent broke off and moved eastward, creating the Japan Sea and what would become the Japanese archipelago. As the plates beneath the landmass continued to shift, sub-oceanic volcanoes erupted and rose above the sea. Over a period of 100 million years, the volcanoes erupted repeatedly, building up layers of igneous rock and creating the Japanese archipelago. Today’s landscape is a reminder that Hagi’s landscape was formed by volcanic eruptions beginning 2 million years ago.
Left to right, top to bottom
Left vertical column (in green)
Cenozoic Era
66 million years ago
Mesozoic Era
250 million years ago
Paleozoic Era
541 million years ago
(in orange)
Quaternary period (2.6 million years ago until the present day)
Neogene period (23 million to 2.6 million years ago)
Paleogene period (65.5 million to 23 million years ago)
Cretaceous period (145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago)
Jurassic period (201.3 million to 145.5 million years ago)
Triassic period (251.9 million to 201.3 million years ago)
Permian period (298.9 million to 251.9 million years ago)
Carboniferous period (359.2 million to 298.9 million years ago)
Picture caption
13 Tatamigafuchi