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Tamagawa hot springs, Shibukuro river, Tazawako, Semboku District, Akita Prefecture, Japani
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Tamagawa hot springs | Hot Springs |
| Shibukuro river | River |
| Tazawako | Town (Former) |
| Semboku District | District |
| Akita Prefecture | Prefecture |
| Japan | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
39° 57' 47'' North , 140° 43' 28'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hanawa | 36,925 (2017) | 25.1km |
| Ōdate | 64,543 (2017) | 37.1km |
| Shizukuishi | 19,866 (2017) | 37.2km |
| Takanosu | 20,542 (2017) | 42.0km |
| Kakunodatemachi | 14,138 (2017) | 43.7km |
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Shibukuro hot springs
Tamagawa Hot Spring (玉川温泉, Tamagawa onsen) is a hot spring located in the city of Semboku, Akita in northern Japan.
The spring has a flow of 9000 liters/minute and feeds a 3-metre wide stream with a temperature of 98 °C. The water from Tamagawa Hot Spring is extremely acidic, with a pH of about 1.2, making it one of the most acidic hot springs in Japan.
The spring contains hydrochloric acid as a main component, along with carbon dioxide, iron, and aluminium-chloride. Due to deposits of radioactive hokutolite near the spring, the water is also slightly radioactive, with a level of 15-20 mSv / year. Hokutolite is composed of a type of barite (barium sulfate), including lead and traces of strontium and calcium, and is about ten times as radioactive as the standard background radiation. Radium also exists in the hot springs water.
The springs were discovered by a local matagi hunter in 1680, but the area was used primarily as a sulphur mine, and it was not until 1885 that the first lodging was erected.
Initially called the Kanoyu Onsen, it was renamed to Tamagawa Onsen by an Asahi Shimbun newspaper reporter, who praised its effectiveness against many diseases. Due to the isolation of the site, it could only be reached on horseback with some difficulty until after World War II.
It was designated a National Health Resort in 1959. The waters from the spring have traditionally been touted as a cure for hypertension, arteriosclerosis, gynaecological diseases, neuralgia, skin diseases, asthma, and especially for malignant tumours (cancer).
There are two lodging facilities available in the area, Tamagawa Onsen, an inn located near the spring (opens from mid-April to December, and closed for winter since 2012 due to the avalanche on February 1, 2012, which killed 3 people), and Shin-Tamagawa Onsen, a hotel about a kilometre down from the spring which opens year-round, run by the same owner of Tamagawa Onsen inn. Tamagawa Onsen inn and the spring area are only accessible by a snowcat in December after the road is closed for the traffic by the end of November due to the heavy snowfall in the area.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
4 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Baryte Formula: BaSO4 |
| ⓘ Baryte var. Hokutolite Formula: (Ba,Pb)SO4 |
| ⓘ 'Limonite' |
| ⓘ Orpiment Formula: As2S3 |
| ⓘ Realgar Formula: As4S4 |
| ⓘ Sulphur Formula: S8 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Sulphur | 1.CC.05 | S8 |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Realgar | 2.FA.15a | As4S4 |
| ⓘ | Orpiment | 2.FA.30 | As2S3 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Baryte | 7.AD.35 | BaSO4 |
| ⓘ | var. Hokutolite | 7.AD.35 | (Ba,Pb)SO4 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| O | Oxygen | |
|---|---|---|
| O | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Baryte var. Hokutolite | (Ba,Pb)SO4 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| S | ⓘ Orpiment | As2S3 |
| S | ⓘ Realgar | As4S4 |
| S | ⓘ Sulphur | S8 |
| S | ⓘ Baryte var. Hokutolite | (Ba,Pb)SO4 |
| As | Arsenic | |
| As | ⓘ Orpiment | As2S3 |
| As | ⓘ Realgar | As4S4 |
| Ba | Barium | |
| Ba | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| Ba | ⓘ Baryte var. Hokutolite | (Ba,Pb)SO4 |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Baryte var. Hokutolite | (Ba,Pb)SO4 |
Other Databases
| Wikipedia: | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamagawa_Hot_Spring |
|---|---|
| Wikidata ID: | Q7680539 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
AsiaContinent
Eurasian Plate
- North Japan ArcVolcanic Arc
Japan
- Honshu IslandIsland
Okhotsk PlateTectonic Plate
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Tamagawa hot springs, Shibukuro river, Tazawako, Semboku District, Akita Prefecture, Japan