Mount Egmont is a curiosity of nature. This volcano , surrounded by a gigantic natural park, embodies the most symmetrical natural formations of this type in the world.
Mount Edmont is also known as Mount Taranaki , its Maori designation. Located in the southwest of the North Island, not far from the town of New Plymouth , Mount Edmont embodies the heart of the national park of the same name. This mountain is actually a volcano that appeared 120,000 years ago and last erupted in 1775. According to volcanologists, the volcano is only dormant and therefore not yet inactive.
The particularity of Mount Egmont, as well as the Egmont National Park created in 1900, is that it is the most symmetrical natural formation of this type in the world: the cone formed by the building is perfect . Egmont National Park includes the volcano and the surrounding area which is shown in dark green in satellite photos, contrasting with the vegetation outside the park, which is yellow in color accompanied by lighter green.
Indeed, the vegetation outside the park is mainly composed of pastures. Such a contrast is also visible almost everywhere in New Zealand since the land allocated to agriculture has expanded, swallowing up large forested areas. The few areas of forest spared are therefore easily identifiable on aerial photos.
Le mont Egmont est un site apprécié des randonneurs néo-zélandais (dénivelé de 1582 mètres) mais également des touristes, surtout durant l’été. En hiver, le volcan est couvert de neige, offrant un spectacle impressionnant. Quant au parc en général, il est désormais célèbre, pour sa beauté exceptionnelle et bien sûr pour sa symétrie quasi parfaite également visible depuis l’espace.
Voici une série de clichés du mont Egmont et du parc pational d’Egmont :
Sources: Altitude Rando – The Land of the Future
Credit photos : NASA (Earth Observatory) – NASA (Visible Earth) – Gary L Clark (Wikipedia)
