Seoraksan National Park
Seoraksan National Park Part one in a series on the National Parks of Korea.
The peaks of the Seoraksan Mountains break through the clouds while jade-like water
flows through the valleys, creating breathtaking views and making this Korea's most famous national park.
Due to the many rare species found here, UNESCO designated this national park a Biosphere Preservation District in 1982.
The mountain range located here stretches over an area of 373km² with the highest peak reaching 1,708 meters.
The most famous tourist area near Mt. Seoraksan National Park is the city of Sokcho.
The eastern part of Sokcho has sparkling water along the coast, while the western part of the city connects to the most famous mountain of the national park.
This area is said to be blessed with beautiful natural surroundings: beaches, ski resorts, hot springs, and historic treasures.
Heulimgol at Osaek Valley in inner Seoraksan.
Osaek Valley offers great accommodation, delicious food and spas with natural mineral water.
The Heulimgol valley course has been closed to the public due to damages caused by severe flooding.
For more than 20 years it has had the chance to rejuvenate itself, and is now well preserved.
Jujeonggol Valley, which is famous, as the area where the old yeopjeon coins were made during the Joseon Dynasty.
Lying deep between high mountain ridges you will be able to explore these two valleys and see nature at its best.
Also during this hike we will stop at Yongso waterfall. A short, wide waterfall surrounded by greenery. Its beauty inspires many to travel here.
Seongguksa Temple where you can see the only remains from the original temple in this area, a three story pagoda.
Then carry on to the last bridge where you can easily climb down to the river, to get a taste of the natural mineral water that flows through this valley.
Osaek means five different flavors. The water has strong iron content and is highly carbonated. It’s so famous,
that people from all over the country come to Seoraksan just for access to it.
Geology
The granitic rocks in the vicinity of the Mt. Sorak, the northeastern part of the NE-SW elongated Mesozoic granitic batholith in the Kyeonggi massif, consist of granodiorite, biotite granite, two_mica granite and alkali feldspar granite, Variations in major and most trace elemental abundances show a typical differentiation trend in a granitic magma.
Granitic rocks all display a calc-alkaline trend in the AFM diagram. Also, in the ACF diagram discriminating between I- and S-type granitic rocks, granodiorite and most biotite granite in the southeastern area represent I-type and magnetite-series characteristics, while most biotite granite and two_mica granite in the northwestern area exhibit S-type and ilmenite-series ones.
According to recent studies of the granitic rocks in the Inje-Hongcheon district, all the granitic rocks distributed in the northeastern part of the Kyeonggi massif have been classified as late Triassic to early Jurassic Daebo granite.
At the latest stage, the evolved hydrothermal solution altered the formerly solidified biotite granite to alkali feldspar granite and probably later local igneous activities affected the alkali feldspar granite again.
The contact
sorak@knps.or.kr
033-636-8355
033-636-7494
In order to log the cache you have to read and understand the Information panels regarding the geology of this area. There are one of them :
- Take a photo Heulimgol Geology Stone. Upload the picture together with your log.
- Send me by email the answer the following question: "How many years ago was the Heulimgol Geology
Stone formed?"