Izumi Mountains - Izumi-sanchi

A mountain range lying in the northwest of Kagoshima Prefecture. It is also called the Shibi Mountains. It separates the Sendai River Basin from the Izumi Plain, and forms the border with Minamata City in Kumamoto Prefecture in the north. At an altitude of about 400 to 1100 meters, it stretches out in a way that embraces the Izumi Plain. The highest point of the mountain range is Mt. Shibi on the south side at 1067 meters. The north side of the mountain range is made of andesite, the east and south sides are mainly made of the Shimanto Group, and the mountain body including Mt. Shibi is made of granite. It obstructs traffic between the north and south, and forms a boundary between nature and humankind. National Routes 328, 447, and 504 run through the center of the mountain range, and Route 3 and the Hisatsu Orange Railway run in the west. The Izumi Plain is mainly an alluvial fan formed by sediment supplied from these mountains. It is known as a migration site for cranes.

[Kimihiko Tsukada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鹿児島県の北西部に横たわる山地。紫尾山地(しびさんち)ともいう。川内川(せんだいがわ)流域と、出水平野を分け、北部で熊本県水俣(みなまた)市との境界をなす。約400～1100メートルの高度で、出水平野を抱え込むような形で連なる。山地の最高点は南側の紫尾山で1067メートル。山地の北側は安山岩類、東、南側は主として四万十(しまんと)層群からなり、紫尾山を含む山体は花崗(かこう)岩類で形成されている。南北の交通を妨げ、自然、人文の境界をなしている。山地の中央を国道328号、447号、504号、西部を3号と肥薩(ひさつ)おれんじ鉄道が走る。また、出水平野は、これら山地から供給された堆積(たいせき)物による扇状地が主体。ツルの渡来地として知られる。

［塚田公彦］

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