131 Yamasaki — Glaciation of Japan Mountains. 



the European Alps, we can prepare the following table in 

 which temperatures are reduced to sea-level. 



Elevation, above 



Temperature, 



January- 



July 



Station sea-level, meters 



Annual, C. 



Temperature 



Temperature 



Takayama .... 561.4 



10.0° 



—2.3° 



21.8° 



Matsumoto . . . 582.1 



10.1° 



—2.1° 



22.0° 



Nagano 420.4 



10.9° 



—1.5° 



22.9° 



Average . . . 521.3 



10.3° 



—2.0° 



22.2° 



Vienna 170.0 



10.0° 



—1.6° 



22.5° 



The temperatures at the four stations are nearly equal 

 to each other, while the elevations of the Japanese stations 

 are greater than the elevation of the Vienna station. 

 Dachstein, near Vienna, in the northern Limestone Alps, 

 has its snow-line below 3,000 meters elevation, and Hohe 

 Tauern in the Central Alps is covered with permanent 

 snow at an elevation of 2,860 meters. Of course, snow- 

 fall and glaciation are influenced by not only temperature 

 but also by other controlling conditions such as the 

 amount of precipitation, the humidity, the direction of 

 the prevailing winds, and topographic features. If we 

 consider only temperature, we find that the snow-line for 

 the Japanese Alps would be only a few hundred meters 

 above their summits, so that with a fall of only a few 

 degrees in temperature the snow-line would be depressed 

 to these peaks. The precipitation would be sufficient to 

 make snowfields and glaciers. 



In the course of a close examination of the topography 

 of the mountains we found various characteristic forms 

 of ridges and valleys due to glacial processes. The most 

 distinctive feature is the occurrence of cirques or kar at 

 the valley heads near the crests. Along the crest of the 

 central range of the Japanese Alps proper or the Hida 

 Mountain, from the gigantic needle of Yarigatake to the 

 renowned peak of Shiroumadake, we find this particular 

 type of topography. Again, nearly a dozen cirques lie 

 side by side on the ridges of Yakushidake and Tateyama, 

 to the west of the former, and between them is the deep 

 gorge of Kurobe. If we stand on a prominent peak, such 

 as Tateyama, it is not difficult to find a score of cirques on 

 the surrounding mountains. Some of them, and the val- 

 leys below them as well, are often covered with snow 

 patches in midsummer days. Weathering and erosion 



