Paektu Mountain or Baekdu Mountain () is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. In China, it is known as Changbai Mountain (). At , it is the tallest mountain in North Korea and Northeast China and the tallest mountain of the Baekdu-daegan and Changbai mountain ranges. The mountain notably has a caldera that contains a large crater lake called Heaven Lake, and is also the source of the Songhua, Tumen, and Yalu rivers. Korean and Manchu people assign a mythical quality to the mountain and its lake, and consider the mountain to be their ancestral homeland.
The mountain's caldera was formed by an eruption in 946 that released about of tephra. The eruption was among the largest and most powerful eruptions on Earth in the last 5,000 years. The volcano last erupted in 1903, and is expected to erupt around every hundred years. In the 2010s, concerns over an upcoming eruption prompted several countries to commission research into when the volcano might next erupt.
The mountain is considered culturally important to multiple groups in the area, including Korean, Chinese, and Manchu people. The mountain is a major national symbol for both North and South Korea, and is mentioned in both national anthems and depicted on the national emblem of North Korea. The Manchu people also consider the mountain their ancestral homeland, and the Chinese Qing dynasty saw it as a symbol of imperial power. The mountain has also been subject to territorial disputes over the past few centuries that have continued into the present.
Names
The mountain was first recorded in the Chinese Classic of Mountains and Seas under the name Bùxián Shān (). It is also called Shànshàn Dàlǐng () in the Book of the Later Han. In the New Book of Tang, it was called Tàibái Shān (). The current Chinese name, (, 'ever white mountain', was first used in the Liao dynasty (916–1125) of the Khitans and then the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) of the Jurchens. The Liao Shi recorded that chiefs of 30 Jurchen tribes from Mount Changbai paid their tribute to the Liao in AD 985. According to the Song dynasty travelogue Songmo Jiwen, it was named as such because the mountain was "the abode of the white-robed Guanyin" and its birds and beasts were all white. The modern Manchu name of the mountain, which is (), also means 'ever white mountain'.
The modern Korean name of the mountain, or (), was first recorded in the 13th-century historical record . It means 'white-head mountain'. In other records from the same period, the mountain was also called (), which means 'great-white mountain'. An alternative Chinese name, (), is the transliteration of Paektu Mountain.
The Mongolian name is (), which means 'lofty white mountain'. In English, various authors have used nonstandard transliterations.
Current geography and geology
Mount Paektu is tall, making it the highest mountain in North Korea and Northeast China and the highest mountain of the Baekdu-daegan and Changbai mountain ranges.
Mount Paektu is a stratovolcano whose cone is truncated by a large caldera. The central section of the mountain rises about per year due to rising levels of magma below the central part of the mountain. Sixteen peaks exceeding line the caldera rim surrounding Heaven Lake. The highest peak, called Janggun Peak, is covered in snow about eight months of the year. The slope is relatively gentle until about . The caldera is about wide and deep, and is partially filled by the waters of Heaven Lake.
Heaven Lake has a circumference of , with an average depth of and maximum depth of . From mid-October to mid-June, the lake is typically covered with ice. Water flows north out of the lake, and near the outlet there is a waterfall. The mountain is the source of the Songhua, Tumen and Yalu rivers. The Tumen and the Yalu form the northern border between North Korea and Russia and China.
Climate
The weather on the mountain can be very erratic, sometimes severe. The annual average temperature at the peak is . During summer, temperatures of about or higher can be reached, and during winter temperatures can drop to . The lowest record temperature was on 2 January 1997. The average temperature is about in January, and in July, remaining below freezing for eight months of the year. The average wind speed is , peaking at . The relative humidity averages 74%.
Geological history
The geological origin of Mount Paektu remains a mystery. Two leading theories are first a hot spot formation and second an uncharted portion of the Pacific Plate sinking beneath Mount Paektu.