Mashike Mountains
View from Obira (April 2009)
Highest point
Peak	Mount Shokanbetsu, Mashike and Shintotsukawa, Rumoi and Sorachi Subprefecture, Japan
Elevation	1,491.6 m (4,894 ft)
Coordinates	43°42′57″N 141°31′23″E / 43.71583°N 141.52306°E / 43.71583; 141.52306
Naming
Native name	増毛山地 (Japanese)
Geography
Country	Japan
State	Hokkaidō
Regions	Ishikari, Rumoi and Sorachi
Subdivisions	Kabato Mountains and Shokanbetsudake Mountains
Biome	alpine climate
Geology
Orogeny	island arc
Type of rock	Volcanic and fold

Mashike Mountains (増毛山地, Mashike Sanchi) are a group of mountains on the western coast of Hokkaidō. The mountain range is divided into two regions by the Hamamasu River.^[1] The northern region is a group of volcanic mountains called Shokanbetsudake Mountains.^[2] The southern region is known as the Kabato Mountains.^[1] The Mashike mountains lie between the Teshio Mountains to the north and the Ishikari Plain to the south. Mashikie mountains includes part of Shokanbetsu-Teuri-Yagishiri Quasi-National Park.^[2]

The highest peak of the Mashike mountains is Mount Shokanbetsu (1492m).^[2]

Mount Minami Shokan, Mount Kunbetsu and Mount Etai define a triangle that surrounds the Uryū Wetlands (雨竜沼湿原, Uryūnumashitsugen).^[2]

Flora and fauna

Unlike on Honshū, you can see alpine plants at altitudes as low as 1000 meters in the Mashike mountains.^[3]

References