Mt Paektu, located in Ryanggang Province in the northern part of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is the highest mountain of Korea (2 750 metres above sea level), from which all mountains in the country stretch, hence also known as the ancestral mountain.
In the middle of summer, you can see snow and ice masses and caves in the valleys, ravines and slopes of the peaks over 2 200 metres above sea level, such as Janggun, Hyangdo and Haeppal.
As winter lasts over 200 days on the mountain, in midsummer mild weather persists and temperature rises, kick-starting thawing.
In the daytime, snow deposits on the slopes and ravines melt as their surface is heated, and they freeze as the temperature drops back below zero at night.
These snow and ice deposits form a unique shape.
While the surface becomes intensified more and more, snowmelt from the upper part and that from the ridges converge to form a stream at the bottom of the ravines, which shapes a water channel. This channel gradually abrades the bottom of the ravines to produce snow and ice caves.
When summer comes after spring, the temperature rises and snowmelt proceeds apace, extending the caves in width, depth and height and making their full shape.
As the mercury begins to drop below zero, the water flow at the bottom comes to a full stop, and the ice ceiling becomes harder, unfolding a peculiar shape.
This is how the mysterious snow and ice masses and caves are sculptured in Mt Paektu.
Wave- and chandelier-shaped ice masses and caves that resemble sculptures add more beauty to the landscape of Mt Paektu.
Ri Song Bae
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