Hokkaido Showa Shinzan | When the Earth Split
Mt. Showa is a 398-meter high active volcano in Shikotsu-Toya National Park. It was suddenly formed when an earthquake swarm started in December 1943, and in June 1944 the earth split and an area of wheat fields and pine forest rose up. The semicircular volcano's lava dome is a dark reddish-brown, and today steam still rises from the bare rock. It was designated a special natural monument as a mountain of scientific value.