Are there two volcanoes called Datun in China? One in the south and one in the north! If you don’t believe me, check it out →

The Fanjiatun-Datun volcanic group in Changchun City, Jilin Province consists of four volcanoes, namely Jianshanzi, Pingdingshan, Xiaonanshan and Fufengshan, which are distributed in the Fanjiatun and Datun Town areas in the southwest of Changchun City. Among them, Datun Volcano (also known as Fufengshan Volcano) is the largest extinct volcano in the Fanjiatun-Datun volcanic group. It is located on the east side of the Siping-Dehui fault zone in Jilin Province. It has erupted 8 times in history, and the last eruption was 78.5 million years ago. Datun Volcano is about 20 kilometers away from Changchun City. It is translated as "Bayanjilu Mountain" or "Bayingjierke Mountain" in Mongolian, which means "rich and abundant". Later, it was changed to "Fufengshan Volcano", "Fufengshan Volcano" and "Fufengshan Volcano". It is also called "Bailongju Mountain" by the people. Datun Volcano was later named because there was a "Datun" village on its east side. Tun means accumulation, which coincides with the meaning of "rich and abundant". The volcano has always been the boundary mountain in the southwest of Changchun. The volcanic area contains a large amount of basalt, tuff, volcanic breccia, etc. According to the "Changchun County Chronicles", Datun Volcano "is shaped like a lying cow, with its head facing west, and a small hill in front of it, like a rhinoceros looking at the moon." However, since the mid-19th century, people have begun to mine a large amount of volcanic rocks in the volcanic area for construction, railways, etc. After nearly a hundred years of mining, the main part of the volcano has been flattened. Although the volcanic landform has been destroyed, the unique landform in the quarry, the remaining thick tuff layer and the huge gravel pile, which show the handsomeness of being cut by knives, axes and saws and pointing straight to the sky, can still bring a strong visual impact.

The location map of Datun Volcano in Changchun City, Jilin Province (left, from GF-6 Earth observation image) and the location map of Datun Volcano in Taipei City, Taiwan Province (right, from Beijing-3A Earth observation image)

Datun Volcano in Changchun City, Jilin Province (left, original image) and tuff in the volcanic area (right, original image)

There are three major volcanic groups in Taiwan Province of my country, namely Keelung, Datun and Penghu. Among them, the Datun volcanic group in Taiwan Province is one of the important active volcanic groups in my country. It is located in the north of Taipei City, Taiwan Province. The volcanic area is about 430 square kilometers, with more than 20 volcanoes in total. It is also the main source of natural sulfur in my country. The volcanic landforms include volcanic cones, lava plateaus, and fumaroles. Among them, Zhuzishan, Nan Datun Volcano, Datun Mountain, Xiaoguanyin Mountain and other volcanoes are arranged in a northeast-southwest direction, and Huongzui Mountain, Qixing Mountain, Dajianhoushan Volcano and other volcanoes are distributed in an east-west direction. They are all located in the active fault zone at the foot of the mountain. Among them, Qixing Mountain Volcano, Datun Mountain Volcano, Huongzui Mountain Volcano and other volcanoes are composite volcanoes formed by the alternating eruption of andesitic lava flows and andesitic clastic rocks. In the spring, cherry blossoms bloom all over the mountains in the volcanic area, complementing the green trees and grass, and interspersed with various colors of azaleas, which is dazzling. The Datun volcanoes in Taiwan Province also have natural landscapes such as hot springs and lakes. The most famous one is the "Dream Lake", which is a crater lake with clear blue water, like a fairyland on earth. Therefore, the Datun volcanoes in Jilin Province in the north and the Datun volcanoes in Taiwan Province in the south have their own uniqueness and charm. Compared with the upright and magnificent volcanoes in the north, the southern volcanoes have more gentleness and graceful beauty!

Xiaoyoukeng Volcano and Qixingshan Volcano (left, source: Internet) and Huangzuishan Volcano (right, source: Internet) in the Datun Volcano Group in Taiwan Province

Andesitic volcanic rocks of the Datun volcanic group in Taiwan Province (Photo from the Internet)

The Datun Mountain Volcano in Taiwan Province is about 1,000 meters above sea level. The crater at the top is funnel-shaped. In the rainy season, water accumulates in the crater to form a lake, which is also called "Heavenly Lake". The highest volcano in the Datun Volcano Group is the Qixing Mountain Volcano (about 1,120 meters above sea level). There are 7 small peaks on the top of the volcano, like seven fairies descending to the earth, standing gracefully, hence the name Qixing Mountain. Qixing Mountain Volcano is the youngest active volcano in the Datun Volcano Group. It erupted about 6,000 years ago. The huge fumaroles at the top of the volcanic cone are still continuously emitting sulfur-containing volcanic gases. Xiaoyoukeng Volcano is located on the west side of Qixing Mountain Volcano. It is also called Sulfur Valley. It is one of the representative volcanic landscapes of the Datun Volcano Group. Close observation can reveal strings of yellow crystalline or needle-shaped sulfur crystals, and the explosion of the fumaroles can be heard. The volcanic activity of the Datun Volcano Group in Taiwan Province began about 2.8-2.5 million years ago. Between the Datun Mountain Volcano and the Qixing Mountain Volcano, there is also the Xiaoguanyin Mountain Volcano. The crater on the top of the mountain is about 1,200 meters in diameter and about 300 meters deep. It is the largest crater in the Datun volcanic group.

The fumaroles of Dayoukeng and Xiaoyoukeng volcanoes in the Datun volcanic group in Taiwan Province (left and middle, pictures from the Internet) and the fumaroles of Campi Flegrei superactive volcano in Naples, Italy (right, original picture)

The volcanic observation and research data of the Datun volcanic group in Taiwan Province show that there are more than 10 volcanic fumaroles in the Datun volcanic group. The volcanic gas ejected is mainly water vapor, containing a small amount of CO2, H2S, SO2 and other gases. The sulfur-containing volcanic gas ejected will directly condense and crystallize into yellow sulfur crystals when it encounters air. Among them, the geothermal temperature anomaly at the bottom of Qixingshan volcano is significantly higher than that of other volcanoes in the volcanic group. The volcanic gas ejection intensity of the Datun volcanic group in Taiwan Province is slightly inferior to that of the Campi Flegrei superactive volcano in Naples, Italy, but stronger than that of the Changbai Mountain Tianchi volcano in Jilin Province. The earthquake monitoring data in this area show that the earthquakes in the volcanic area are mainly micro-earthquakes, and occasionally there are felt earthquakes, such as the 4.0-magnitude felt earthquake in the volcanic group in February 2014 (data from the Institute of Volcanology, China Earthquake Administration, Fujian Provincial Earthquake Administration and Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration). Historical GPS and horizontal deformation data show that the local volcanic area has undergone deformations of varying degrees. Current geophysical exploration data also show that there is still a magma chamber about 6 kilometers below the bottom of the Datun volcanic area in Taiwan Province, with a magma volume of 350-936 cubic kilometers, which fully demonstrates that the Datun volcanic group in Taiwan Province is one of the largest active volcano groups in my country.

Volcanic gases released from the Campi Flegrei supervolcano in Naples, Italy (left, original image) and from the Tianchi volcano in Changbai Mountain, Jilin Province (right, original image)

The highest point of Yangmingshan Volcano in the Datun Volcano Group in Taiwan Province (left, source: Internet) and the highest point of Capri Island in Naples, Italy (right, original image)

The Datun volcanic group in Taiwan Province is located near the 25th parallel north, between the East Asian continent and the Pacific Ocean. Here, scientists can deeply study and understand the structure and evolution of the earth's interior, explore important earth science issues such as the formation and eruption mechanism of volcanoes. At the same time, the Datun volcanic group is also the most important part of Yangmingshan Geopark in Taiwan Province, my country. Yangmingshan is a volcano in the Datun volcanic group. Its original name was Caoshan. The two characters "Yangming" were taken from the name of Wang Shouren (named Yangming), an outstanding thinker, writer, military strategist, and educator in the Ming Dynasty. Yangmingshan Geopark is famous for its natural beauty, rich ecosystem and profound culture, and is known as the "secret place of nature". In spring, the flowers, plants and trees are colorful, and the spring scenery of the year is all in this mountain; in summer, the volcanic group is covered with green clothes, and everything is full of vitality; in autumn, maple leaves, ginkgo leaves, persimmon leaves and other plants change color one after another, forming a colorful picture; in winter, Yangmingshan is often shrouded in mist, like a fairyland on earth. Standing at the highest point of Yangmingshan, you can have a panoramic view of the entire Taipei City, and the enchanting scenery described in "Grandma's Penghu Bay" will instantly come into view. Yangmingshan perfectly overlaps with the scenery at the highest point of the Italian Capri Island in the west of the Eurasian continent, and they are similar in appearance and spirit! So, the beauty of nature is always so coincidental and dreamy! ‌‌

This issue of science popularization ends! Friends, see you next time!

References in this issue:

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[3] Chen Zhousheng. Monitoring Tatun volcano by continuous magnetotelluric observations[M]. Taiwan: National Science Council, Executive Yuan, 2012.

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[6] Song Yujia, Pan Xiaodong, Gu Guohui, et al. Analysis of the possibility of a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in the waters of Hualien County, Taiwan and its triggering of volcanic activity[J]. Advances in Earthquake Science, 2024, 54(4), 292-298.

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[9] Xu, ZT, Sun, LY, Ye, XQ et al. U–Pb geochronology and geochemistry of dikes in the Changbaishan Tianchi volcanic field (NE China) and their relations with the coeval Jingbohu and Longgang monogenetic volcanic fields. International Geology Review, 2023, 66 (3), 814-831.

[10] Ye XQ, Sun LY, Xu ZT et al. Geochemistry and zircon U–Pb dating of Early Jurassic syenogranite in the Kaoshan area, southern part of the Zhangguangcai Range, NE China, and tectonic implications. Geological Journal, 2021, 57(1), 440-461.

Authors of this issue: Xu Zhitao, Ye Xiqing, Sun Liying, Sveva R.M, Alessandro S

Planning: Xu Zhitao Ventura·G Mimmo·P Francesco·L Francesco·R

Editor: Li Mengmeng, Li Haiyan, Zhang Xin, Gu Guohui

Review: Pan Xiaodong, Kang Jianhong, Cao Li, Chen Bo, Li Zhongwei, Chen Junjie, Zheng Guodong, Lu Yanhong, Wen Hongtao, Pang Jingyuan, Xu Yueren, Gu Alei, Chu Xiaolei, Zou Yaoyao, Yu Lu, Zhang Kun, Liu Chaoyang, Xu Zhikai, Zhang Yong, Yang Fan, Wang Shu, Zhang Xinwen, Wang Wanfu, Liu Hongyu, Xu Jingsi, Sun Guojun, Mi Hongdong, Zhang Jinghui, Gao Qiliang, Miao Peisheng, Jiang Hui, Zhao Chunhua, Wang Yun, Huang Xiaolei, Wang Lijuan, Sang Chengliang, Kang Li, Li Na, Liu Hao, Liu Guoming, Qi Wei, Zhao Guohui, Kong Qingjun, Park Jie

Publicity: Feng Jingqiao, Song Yujia, Guan Sheng, Ma Fei, Yan Donghan, Liu Hongyan, Wei Meixuan, Zhang Renpeng, Han Di, Zhang Hongyan, Liu Bingbing, Zhang Yu, Li Yanbo, Gao Jinzhe, Wang Jingwei, Jin Wenhu, Yu Yue, Cao Guangyuan, He Qi, Liu Bingyang, Wang Yumeng, Cai Honglei, Chen Linrong, Xu Dan, Zhang Xiaoqiu, Xuan Licheng, Zhang Rui, Liu Xuanchi, Yang Rui, Li Shanshan, Wu Shengbin, Ruan Qingfeng, Yan Hengqi, Zhang Xuan, Chen Cong, Yu Chang, Qiao Tiangang, Zhou Mingxin, Zhang Fan, Guo Yan, Chang Liang, Cao Lixi, Huang He, Ren Fangyu, Sui Shiyu, Zhang Liang, Wang Kewei, Ma Mingzhi, Li Xuemei, Zhang Xin, Ba Yanfang, Zhao Qicai, Wang Nan, Jiang Cheng, Ju Jiabin, Wu Jiangxing, Yu Hongchi, Yang Kun, Peng Bo, Li Qinghai, Hou Fengyu, Xu Dan, Wang Tieyan, Liu Hanyu, Chen Chao, Sun Jicai, Su Xiaotie, Gong Zhen, Li Zhongwei, Liu Dafeng, Jin Wei, Zhang Lei, Jin Zhengxie, Han Zhongmin, Shi Honghao, Bi Yongqiang, Chen Zuoquan, Li Chengxue, Zhu Xingye, Kong Jing, Zhu Daqing

Produced by: Institute of Volcanology, China Earthquake Administration, Jilin Province Earthquake Administration, Fujian Province Earthquake Administration, Guangdong Province Earthquake Administration, Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Rome), Naples Volcano Observatory, Italy, Etna Observatory, Catania, Italy, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, National Research Council, Rome, Italy, Institute of Forecasting, China Earthquake Administration, Tianjin Center of Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Southeast University, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan and Beijing), Zhejiang University, Northeast Normal University, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, School of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Jilin Longgang Volcano Monitoring Station, Jilin Changbai Mountain Tianchi Volcano Monitoring Station, Jilin Province Jilin Earthquake Monitoring Center Station, Jilin Songyuan Earthquake Monitoring Center Station, Jilin Yanbian Earthquake Monitoring Center Station, Jilin Changbai Mountain Volcano National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station

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