What mineral records lie beneath Hokkaido?
Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's four large islands. It is the second largest after Honshu, with broad plains and mountain ranges.
Hokkaido has former coal mines where many people once worked, and towns that prospered through coal mining.
What mineral records remain besides coal?
Using public data from the Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, we will explore records of resources and minerals in Hokkaido on a map.
Will you join me in looking for resources and minerals on the map of Hokkaido?
Explore resources and minerals on the map of Hokkaido
Select the mineral names above the map to switch between gold and silver, copper, iron and titanium, coal and lignite, and other groups. You can display several groups together or focus on just one.
You can zoom and move the map. You can also use the microphone button and say commands such as “Gold & silver only,” “Coal & lignite,” or “show all.”
Darker areas are places where more geological map records overlap nearby. Switch between minerals and see where the colors appear in Hokkaido.
About the map data
Visible World by Data independently classified, aggregated, and mapped data from the second edition of the location dataset for mineral deposits and occurrences in Japan, published by the Geological Survey of Japan, AIST. This map was not produced or supervised by AIST or the Geological Survey of Japan.
The source data contain locations and mineral records for deposits, occurrences, mines, and other sites shown on geological maps. This map displays ten groups: gold and silver, copper, iron and titanium, manganese, sulfur, coal and lignite, lead and zinc, mercury, chromium, and limestone.
Of the 12,981 rows in the source, 3,883 fall outside these ten groups and 57 could not be assigned to an administrative area on the shared base map. The remaining 9,041 records are used for the maps.
This regional map displays the records assigned to the following prefectures: Hokkaido.
The counts represent records on geological maps. They do not represent the number of deposits, reserves, recoverable quantities, ore grades, or current production.
A location or its surroundings may appear on several geological maps of different dates or scales. Record counts alone therefore cannot be used to compare how abundant minerals are or how much different regions contain.
The positions were read from symbols on the original geological maps and are approximate. They do not identify exact mine entrances, site boundaries, or access points. The map cannot be used as a guide for visiting these sites.
Mining history or status shown when you select a point reflects what the original geological map recorded. These data alone do not tell us whether mining continues today.
Explore records for the selected mineral
The data card shows the number of geological map records for the selected mineral and examples of mines whose names could be identified in the source data.
Select the record count to display individual records as round points on the map. Select a point to see its recorded minerals, prefecture (a Japanese administrative area), source geological map, the mining history stated on that map, and a link to the source.
Select a mine name to move the map to its recorded location. You can begin with a mine you know or follow an unfamiliar name across the map.
The numbers are a guide to what is currently displayed on the map, rather than a ranking of minerals or regions.
What I noticed while making the map
As I switched between minerals, limestone was the first to catch my attention.
Its colors appear in fewer places than those of other minerals. This reflects the records in the geological map data used here, however, rather than the amount of limestone itself.
When I selected coal and lignite, and then chromium, the colors seemed to gather in central Hokkaido.
For other minerals, I felt there were more clusters of color in the east and west of the island. Within the same island, the pattern changed from one mineral to another.
Why not explore the mineral records near a place that interests you or somewhere you would like to visit?
Sources
- Kazuki Naito (2017), Location dataset for mineral deposits and occurrences in Japan, second edition, Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Interim Report no. 73. Distributed CSV corrected on December 15, 2025; accessed September 8, 2026.
- Geological Survey of Japan: Key points for using research outputs, Usage guidelines, and Website terms of use.
- Source data: Geological Survey of Japan, Interim Report no. 73
- Base map: saved SMRI japan-topography data derived from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's National Land Numerical Information (administrative areas), processed and mapped by Visible World by Data. Terms of use.
Mineral records were classified, aggregated, and mapped by Visible World by Data.
Records listing several minerals may appear in more than one group.