Seongsan Ilchulbong

Geological landmark

Seongsan Ilchulbong

Seongsan Ilchulbong from the air

Korean name
Hangul|

성산일출봉

Hanja|

城山日出峰

Revised Romanization| Seongsan ilchulbong
McCune–Reischauer| Sŏngsan ilch‘ulbong
Seongsan Ilchulbong The Volcanic crater of Seongsan Ilchulbong Entrance of Seongsan Ilchulbong View from top of Seongsan Ilchulbong

Seongsan Ilchulbong (Korean: 성산일출봉), also called Sunrise Peak, is a volcano on eastern Jeju Island, in Seongsan-ri, Seogwipo, Jeju Province, South Korea.

The volcano is a tuff cone formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions upon a shallow seabed about five thousand years ago. It is 182 meters high and has a volcanic crater at the top.

## Etymology[edit]

"Seongsan" means "fortress mountain"; the mountain is said to resemble a Korean fortress. "Ilchulbong" is another name for the mountain, and means "sunrise peak". This name has reportedly been used since ancient times, and is derived from a belief that the mountain is one of the best places to view the sunrise on Jeju Island.[1]

## Geology[edit]

Seongsan Ilchulbong was formed by Surtseyan-type hydrovolcanic activity upon a shallow seabed about 5,000 years ago.[2][3] Most volcanic cones or oreums (Jeju dialect for volcanic cones) were formed by piles of scoria cones which are created by Hawaiian eruptions or Strombolian eruptions. But Seongsan Ilchulbong and a few other oreums on Jeju Island were hydromagmatic volcanoes which were made by piles of volcanic ash, the interaction of hot ascending magma and seawater or ground water. Seongsan Ilchulbong is 182 meters high, and its crater is about 600 meters in diameter.

Seongsan Ilchulbong was designated as a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO as part of Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.[4]

## Natural ecosystem[edit]

The Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone's flora is composed of 222 taxa. There are 6 rare plant species: a fern, Crypsinus hastatus, an orchid, Neofinetia falcata, two parasitic plants, Aeginetia indica and Orobanche coerulescens, and two other herbaceous plants, Arisaema heterophyllum and Glehnia littoralis. Aeginetia indica in particular is considered an important plant in terms of plant distribution, because in Korea it can be found only in Jeju Island, in the crater of Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone. There are additionally 300 species of marine algae on the Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone. Diverse new species were found in this area including Dasyiphonia chejuensis.

## Climbing[edit]

It takes usually one hour to climb to the top and to go down, using stairs, for an admission fee.[5] The area is open from 7:10 am to 7 pm in summer and 7:30 am to 6 pm in winter. There is also a luggage storage room before the entrance.

## See also[edit]

* World Heritage Sites in South Korea
* Hallasan
* Gimnyeonggul
* Geomunoreum Lava Tube System
* Manjanggul

## References[edit]

1. ^ 강, 상배, "성산일출봉 (城山日出峰)", Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean), Academy of Korean Studies, retrieved 2024-06-25
2. ^ Sohn, Y. K.; Chough, S. K. (1992). "The Ilchulbong tuff cone, Cheju Island, South Korea". Sedimentology. 39 (4): 523–544. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3091.1992.tb02135.x. ISSN 1365-3091.
3. ^ Sohn, Y. K.; Cronin, S. J.; Brenna, M.; Smith, I. E. M.; Nemeth, K.; White, J. D. L.; Murtagh, R. M.; Jeon, Y. M.; Kwon, C. W. (2012-03-01). "Ilchulbong tuff cone, Jeju Island, Korea, revisited: A compound monogenetic volcano involving multiple magma pulses, shifting vents, and discrete eruptive phases". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 124 (3–4): 259–274. doi:10.1130/B30447.1. ISSN 0016-7606.
4. ^ "Natural sites in Madagascar, China and Korea inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List". Retrieved 2007-12-26.
5. ^ "Destinations by Region : VisitKorea Destinations by Region Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone [UNESCO World Heritage] (성산일출봉 [유네스코 세계문화유산]) | Official Korea Tourism Organization". Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Retrieved 2022-01-10.

* Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Tourism Association
* "World Heritage sites (South Korea)". Korea Herald. 2010-03-30.
* "Jeju volcanic island and lava tubes: Invaluable ecological treasure trove". Korea Herald. 2008-09-12.
* "Jeju sites named UNESCO global geoparks". Korea Herald. 2010-10-04.
* "A UNESCO Sunrise Seongsan Ilchulbong". The Korea Times. 2008-06-26.
* "Seongsan Ilchulbong, Jeju's Floating Castle". The Jeju Weekly. 2011-01-16.
* "Visitors to Seongsan Sunrise Peak up 25% in 2011". The Jeju Weekly. 2012-01-02.

## External links[edit]

* Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, UNESCO
* Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Tourism Association
* Jeju Special Self-Governing Province
* Jeju World Natural Heritage

33°27′31″N 126°56′31″E﻿ / ﻿33.4585°N 126.9420°E﻿ / 33.4585; 126.9420