Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group

Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group (北八ヶ岳) is a volcanic group of stratovolcanoes and lava domes located in Nagano Prefecture on Honshū in Japan.

Description
The Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group is part of the Yatsugatake Mountains. The northern group is defined as the mountains from Mount Futago to Natsuzawa Pass. The highest peak of the mountains is Mount Tengu and the elevation is 2,646 metres.

The southern Yatsugatake mountains are steep and have alpine characteristics. The mountains of the Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group are gentler and lower.

Yatsugatake is listed among the 100 famous mountains in Japan, but this refers to the Southern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group. Mount Tateshina is also mentioned as one of the 100 famous mountains, and it is part of the Northern Yatsugatake mountains, but is listed separately.

These mountains are part of the Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Park.

Geology and volcanic activity
The volcanoes are stratovolcanos that are 1 million to 200,000 years old. The rock is mainly basalt, dacite, and andesite. Mount Yoko has shown the most recent activity and is now considered an active volcano. It last erupted about 800 years ago. In 888 a debris avalanche on the East side of the volcanic massif caused Lake Matsubara to form. The Tateshina-kogen plateau was formed by a large lava flow.

List of peaks
The following peaks and passes, from North to South, make up the Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group:


 * Mount Tateshina (also known as Suwa Fuji), stratovolcano 2530 m
 * Ogawara Pass 2093 m
 * Mount Futago, cinder cone 2224 m
 * Mount Otake 2381 m
 * Mount Yoko (also known at Mount Kita Yoko), lava dome 2480 m
 * Mount Mitsudake 2360 m
 * Mount Amaike 2325 m
 * Mount Shimagare, lava dome 2403 m
 * Mount Chausu, lava dome 2384 m
 * Mugikusa Pass 2127 m
 * Mount Maru 2330 m
 * Nyu 2152 m
 * Mount Naka 2496 m
 * Mount Tengu 2646 m
 * Mount Neishi 2603 m
 * Mount Mikaburi 2590 m