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Red Data Book of Kyoto Prefecture 2015

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Geography & Geology Selection Criteria

Geography

Kyoto Prefecture is tectonically located in the internal southwest Japan zone. This belt of geological structures, which orients east-northeast to west-southwest, is a dominant geographic feature, with strong effects on climate and weather. In the Kyoto Prefecture Red Data Book, the terrains of Kyoto Prefecture are divided into the following zones from north to south: (1) Tango zone, (2) Miyafuku zone, (3) Tanba zone, (4) Yamashiro zone, and (5) Kasagi zone. The Tango zone (1) contains constant-altitude mountainous areas 500 to 600 m above sea level and, in the surrounding areas, mildly rolling hills 200 to 300 m above sea level. The Miyafuku zone (2) is delimited by the Yamada fault and the Nodagawa Valley to the northwest and by the Kanbayashi fault and the Kanbayashi valley to the southeast. Its southern boundary extending to the west passes through Ayabe and Fukuchiyama. The Tanba zone (3) encompasses the wide mountainous area (the hilly area of Tanba) in the middle region of the prefecture. The southern part of this zone is delimited by the Hozukyo Gorge and by the northern edge of the Kyoto basin reaching to the north of Mount Hiei. The eastern part of the Yamashiro zone (4) contains the Hiei-Daigo mountain range extending from north to south. In the western part of this zone, the Kyoto basin and the Yamashiro basin orient from north to south. The Kasagi zone (5) is a mountain area at the southeast end of the prefecture and is located in the Ryoke belt, a basement tectonic structure.

Kyoto Prefecture Red List Category (Geography 2015)

Category Fundamental Criteria
Disappeared Does not exist due to past destruction
Endangered Destruction noticeably ongoing, requiring urgent protection
Vulnerable Lightly damaged and at a high risk of disappearance
To Be Protected Well-conserved at present, yet continuous protection is required in the future

Coastal landform / Shoal
Amanohashidate
(Miyazu City)
Vulnerable

Fluvial landform / Antecedent valley
Hozu valley
(Kameoka City & Kyoto City)
To Be Protected

Erosion landform / Dammed-up pond
Midorogaike / Mizorogaike pond
(Kyoto City)
To Be Protected

Geology

Precambrian rocks that form continents are referred to as basement. Sedimentary strata or rocks formed on top of basement rocks are known as the cover. In Kyoto Prefecture, the tectonic regionalization of basement rocks comprise the following belts, listed from the Sea of Japan southward: (1) the Outer Hida belt, (2) the Maizuru belt, (3) the Super Tanba belt, (4) the Tanba belt, and (5) the Ryoke belt. The Outer Hida belt (1) contains the Tango area. The Maizuru belt (2) is long and narrow extending from Maizuru City to Kanayama and to Kawaguchi of Fukuchiyama City to the west-southwest. The Super Tanba belt (3) is also long and narrow lying to the southeast of the Maizuru belt. The Tanba belt (4) is a succession of oceanic plate strata known as the Tanba group. The Ryoke belt, characterized by granites and metamorphic rocks, lies to the south of the Tanba belt. Incidentally, in Kyoto Prefecture, the cover is comprised of strata formed in and after the Neogene (Miocene) epoch and from volcanic products.

Kyoto Prefecture Red List Category (Geology 2015)

Category Fundamental Criteria
Disappeared Does not exist due to past destruction
Critically Endangered Destruction noticeably ongoing; outcrops missing but are known to extend underground
Endangered High risk of disappearance from continued damage; features clearly known to exist although the outcrop has been buried
Vulnerable Deserving of special research guidelines

Mineral
Cerasite
Endangered

Fossil
Vicarya found in Yakuno
Vulnerable

Rock
Dacite in Kyogamisaki
Vulnerable

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Contact: Kyoto Prefecture Department of the Environment
Nature and Environmental Conservation Division
Tel 075-414-4706 FAX 075-414-4705
e-mail: [email protected]
〒602-8570 Yabunouchi-cho, Nishiiru, Shinmachi, Shimodachiuri-dori, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi

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