Kunisaki Geopark: Nagasaki Prefecture

The Kunisaki Geopark Andesite in Nagasaki Prefecture was created 1.5 million years ago when a Volcano near the Shimabara Peninsular discharged a sticky lava called Andesite.  During the age when the volcanic activity in the Hayasaki Peninsula (further south where Kuchinotsu town is now located) was less intense, there were some volcanic islands in the sea area around Shimabara Island and they belched magma consisting of different ingredients.  On the Kunisaki Peninsula in the south-west of the Shimabara Peninsula, visitors can see some layers of earth containing thick lava from the volcanic eruption then and layers of debris deposited by those volcanoes.

Even an amateur like me who has no real volcanic and geological experience, just seeing and observing these prehistoric materials of rock and volcanic materials in the flesh up close and personal is a real eye opener.  To realize that time has stood still and that history is staring at you is a fascinating experience that one should not miss out on and its all here in my backyard, figuratively speaking.

I spent a good 2 hours here walking and exploring but a real avid fan could easily spend a half a day here, really interesting and exhilarating stuff to be seen and observed!  The walk is an easy one, right along the coastline a walking path has been paved for ease of access and movement so that you can thoroughly enjoy the entire viewing process.   The result is uninhibited viewing of all things volcanic and lots of interesting materials to be seen and touched by all involved.

Come and check out the Kunisaki Geopark here on a map!

Layered rock formations

At the shoreline

Porous looking ones too

Rock shapes are different

Unique Rock Formations

Check out the Kunisaki Andesite Geopark Nagasaki in the videos below: