THE DISAPPEARING KARST PEAKS OF WESTERN NAGO CITY

I have already posted the upper panorama as a "clean" image without notations, which contains an alternate caption HERE :

 

♥ www.flickr.com/photos/okinawa-soba/22151066526/

 

Please excuse the sloppy notations on this panoramic "THEN & NOW" view, but this is a more personal "working post" to help me keep track of what was where.

 

When I first arrived on Okinawa in 1973, the above vista still looked like the circa 1965 panorama above. Obviously, although all of the many peaks except one are now gone, a great bulk of the underlying limestone still remains.

 

In some places (including a few quarries not seen from here, that lie on the other side of MT. AGUMI) the hills and peaks have already been quarried down to sea-level.

 

As for the downtown growth of NAGO CITY, most of the new buildings and expansion you see in the bottom image has happened only during the past 30 years --- half of it built to replace the old homes and business seen in the upper view.

 

STEP ASIDE, AMERICA !

 

After the USA gave Okinawa back to Japan in 1972, a huge influx of Japanese infrastructure money began flowing into the island... most all of it paid to mainland Japanese construction companies and their mainland Japanese crews imported for the purpose of making Okinawa look more like the Mainland.

 

All of that required a LOT of gravel, cement, and concrete, and this beautiful range of Karst Hills and lovely peaks just happened to be available for sacrifice on the holy altar of progress and civilization.

 

In the meantime, please keep your windows closed and wear a mask at all times, especially when the wind is from the West.

 

Other than that, the Car Wash will be open tomorrow. Please get there early.

 

How much rock is left in all government approved mining claims in the mountains of Nago City ? At current rates of extraction, about 200-300 years.

 

Cheers !

 

沖縄県 沖縄 名護市 名護 安和鉱山 採石場 名護採石場