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55-479: Kitamatsuura Peninsula has many bays, inlets, and other coastal features along its shores. Imari Bay is located on the north, the Hirado Strait is located to the west between Hirado Island and the peninsula, and Sasebo Bay is found on the southwest. The peninsula is mainly basalt which forms a gently-sloping tableland and pediment , though it features many small hills and uneven terrain as well. The borders of

110-653: A fish market and handles the largest volume in Japan of Japanese jack mackerel and related fish . The area of the Kitamatsuura Peninsula includes part or all of several municipalities , including Imari in Saga Prefecture, as well as Sasebo (formerly Shikamachi and Kosaza ), Hirado (formerly Tabira), Matsuura, and Saza in Nagasaki Prefecture. The main rail transportation on the Kitamatsuura Peninsula

165-469: A monotreme , appeared. The predatory South American phorusrhacids were rare in this time; among the last was Titanis , a large phorusrhacid that migrated to North America and rivaled mammals as top predator. Other birds probably evolved at this time, some modern (such as the genera Cygnus , Bubo , Struthio and Corvus ), some now extinct. Alligators and crocodiles died out in Europe as

220-406: A large neocortex relative to body mass and stone tool manufacture. Improvements in dating methods and in the use of climate proxies have provided scientists with the means to test hypotheses of the evolution of human ancestors. Early hypotheses of the evolution of human traits emphasized the selective pressures produced by particular habitats. For example, many scientists have long favored

275-429: A particular habitat. The change to a cooler, drier, more seasonal climate had considerable impacts on Pliocene vegetation, reducing tropical species worldwide. Deciduous forests proliferated, coniferous forests and tundra covered much of the north, and grasslands spread on all continents (except Antarctica). Eastern Africa in particular saw a huge expansion of C 4 grasslands. Tropical forests were limited to

330-953: A tight band around the equator, and in addition to dry savannahs , deserts appeared in Asia and Africa. Both marine and continental faunas were essentially modern, although continental faunas were a bit more primitive than today. The land mass collisions meant great migration and mixing of previously isolated species, such as in the Great American Interchange . Herbivores got bigger, as did specialized predators. In North America, rodents , large mastodons and gomphotheres , and opossums continued successfully, while hoofed animals ( ungulates ) declined, with camel , deer , and horse all seeing populations recede. Three-toed horses ( Nannippus ), oreodonts , protoceratids , and chalicotheres became extinct. Borophagine dogs and Agriotherium became extinct, but other carnivores including

385-541: Is designated the Hokushō Prefectural Natural Park ( 北松県立自然公園 , Hokushō Kenritsu Shizen Kōen ) . Saikai National Park ( 西海国立公園 , Saikai Kokutei Kōen ) and Genkai Quasi-National Park ( 玄海国定公園 , Genkai Kokutei Kōen ) are located on the north side of the peninsula. Due to the rugged coastline, the fishing industry is very active on Kitamatsuura Peninsula. Tsukinokawa Port in Matsuura hosts

440-403: Is greatly moderated by the surrounding sea, resulting in reduced seasonal and diurnal temperature variations. Pliocene The Pliocene ( / ˈ p l aɪ . ə s iː n , ˈ p l aɪ . oʊ -/ PLY -ə-seen, PLY -oh- ; also Pleiocene ) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58 million years ago (Ma). It is the second and most recent epoch of

495-461: Is handled by the Nishi-Kyūshū Line , a rail line operated by Matsuura Railway . National Route 204 , which carries traffic between Karatsu in Saga Prefecture and Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, and National Route 498 , carrying traffic between Kashima in Saga Prefecture and Imari. The Hirado Bridge ( 平戸大橋 , Hirado Ōhashi ) , part of National Route 383 , operates a bridge connecting

550-581: Is highly indented and feature a large cliffs along the entire north-west coast facing East China Sea , except for river mouths. The Hirado Island port was the primary departure point for the Japanese missions to Sui China and Japanese missions to Tang China in 7th-9th centuries. 16 October 1274, the Hirado Island was invaded by the detachment of the Mongol army as the part of Mongol invasions of Japan . During

605-861: Is sometimes referred to as the Late Pliocene, whereas the Zanclean is referred to as the Early Pliocene. In the system of In the Paratethys area (central Europe and parts of western Asia) the Pliocene contains the Dacian (roughly equal to the Zanclean) and Romanian (roughly equal to the Piacenzian and Gelasian together) stages. As usual in stratigraphy, there are many other regional and local subdivisions in use. In Britain ,

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660-472: The tsuyu ( 梅雨 , tsuyu , "plum rain") — the rainy season — occurring between early June (average:Jun.7) to late July (average:Jul.21). The island's weather is affected by the nearby Liman current  [ ja ] while being shielded from the warm Kuroshio Current by the Kyushu island, resulting in wetter and colder climate than should be expected at lower 30's latitudes. The climate of Hirado Island

715-510: The Hardangervidda plateau to 1200 m in the Early Pliocene. In Southern Sweden similar movements elevated the South Swedish highlands leading to a deflection of the ancient Eridanos river from its original path across south-central Sweden into a course south of Sweden. The Pliocene is bookended by two significant events in the evolution of human ancestors. The first is the appearance of

770-492: The Ikitsuki Island . The island is served by the national Route 383 . Ferries are available for transfer to the lesser inhabited islands nearby. Hirado Island is located in the humid subtropical climate zone ( Köppen Cfa ), with four distinct seasons. The island rarely sees snowfall during the winter. Spring in Hirado Island starts off mild, but ends up being very humid. The summer tends to be Hirado's wettest season, with

825-519: The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) stages is not established. During the Pliocene epoch (5.3 to 2.6 million years ago (Ma)), the Earth's climate became cooler and drier, as well as more seasonal, marking a transition between the relatively warm Miocene to the cooler Pleistocene . However, the beginning of the Pliocene was marked by an increase in global temperatures relative to

880-676: The Isthmus of Panama during the Pliocene, making possible the Great American Interchange and bringing a nearly complete end to South America's distinctive native ungulate fauna, though other South American lineages like its predatory mammals were already extinct by this point and others like xenarthrans continued to do well afterwards. The formation of the Isthmus had major consequences on global temperatures, since warm equatorial ocean currents were cut off and an Atlantic cooling cycle began, with cold Arctic and Antarctic waters decreasing temperatures in

935-767: The Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era . The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch. Prior to the 2009 revision of the geologic time scale, which placed the four most recent major glaciations entirely within the Pleistocene, the Pliocene also included the Gelasian Stage, which lasted from 2.59 to 1.81 Ma, and is now included in the Pleistocene. As with other older geologic periods,

990-455: The geological strata that define the start and end are well-identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the epoch are slightly uncertain. The boundaries defining the Pliocene are not set at an easily identified worldwide event but rather at regional boundaries between the warmer Miocene and the relatively cooler Pleistocene. The upper boundary was set at the start of the Pleistocene glaciations. Charles Lyell (later Sir Charles) gave

1045-489: The hominin Australopithecus anamensis in the early Pliocene, around 4.2 million years ago. The second is the appearance of Homo , the genus that includes modern humans and their closest extinct relatives, near the end of the Pliocene at 2.6 million years ago. Key traits that evolved among hominins during the Pliocene include terrestrial bipedality and, by the end of the Pliocene, encephalized brains (brains with

1100-634: The savannah hypothesis . This proposes that the evolution of terrestrial bipedality and other traits was an adaptive response to Pliocene climate change that transformed forests into more open savannah . This was championed by Grafton Elliot Smith in his 1924 book, The Evolution of Man , as "the unknown world beyond the trees", and was further elaborated by Raymond Dart as the killer ape theory . Other scientists, such as Sherwood L. Washburn , emphasized an intrinsic model of hominin evolution. According to this model, early evolutionary developments triggered later developments. The model placed little emphasis on

1155-493: The weasel family diversified, and dogs and short-faced bears did well. Ground sloths , huge glyptodonts , and armadillos came north with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. The latitudinal diversity gradient among terrestrial North American mammals became established during this epoch some time after 4 Ma. In Eurasia rodents did well, while primate distribution declined. Elephants , gomphotheres and stegodonts were successful in Asia (the largest land mammals of

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1210-675: The 2nd invasion of 1281, the island was an important rear base for the Mongols until being abandoned after the invasion failed. Since Muromachi period in 14th century, the island had become the hub for the Wokou pirates. In the development of the Nanban trade with Europe, the Portuguese trade station was operational on the island in 1550-1561 period. In 1584, the Spanish, British and Dutch traders started visiting

1265-510: The Late Miocene and Pliocene, indicating increased aridification. Further aridification of Central Asia was caused by the development of Northern Hemisphere glaciation during the Late Pliocene. A sediment core from the northern South China Sea shows an increase in dust storm activity during the middle Pliocene. The South Asian Summer Monsoon (SASM) increased in intensity after 2.95 Ma, likely because of enhanced cross-equatorial pressure caused by

1320-570: The Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles. During the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene, 3.6 to 2.6 Ma, the Arctic was much warmer than it is at the present day (with summer temperatures some 8 °C warmer than today). That is a key finding of research into a lake-sediment core obtained in Eastern Siberia, which is of exceptional importance because it has provided the longest continuous late Cenozoic land-based sedimentary record thus far. During

1375-559: The Pliocene is divided into the following stages (old to young): Gedgravian, Waltonian , Pre-Ludhamian, Ludhamian, Thurnian, Bramertonian or Antian, Pre-Pastonian or Baventian, Pastonian and Beestonian . In the Netherlands the Pliocene is divided into these stages (old to young): Brunssumian C, Reuverian A, Reuverian B, Reuverian C, Praetiglian , Tiglian A, Tiglian B, Tiglian C1-4b, Tiglian C4c, Tiglian C5, Tiglian C6 and Eburonian . The exact correlations between these local stages and

1430-588: The Pliocene its name in Principles of Geology (volume 3, 1833). The word pliocene comes from the Greek words πλεῖον ( pleion , "more") and καινός ( kainos , "new" or "recent") and means roughly "continuation of the recent", referring to the essentially modern marine mollusc fauna. In the official timescale of the ICS , the Pliocene is subdivided into two stages . From youngest to oldest they are: The Piacenzian

1485-429: The Pliocene may have accelerated on the disappearance of forests and the spread of grasslands and savannas. During the Pliocene the earth climate system response shifted from a period of high frequency-low amplitude oscillation dominated by the 41,000-year period of Earth's obliquity to one of low-frequency, high-amplitude oscillation dominated by the 100,000-year period of the orbital eccentricity characteristic of

1540-503: The Pliocene were such proboscideans as Deinotherium , Anancus , and Mammut borsoni , ) though proboscidean diversity declined significantly during the Late Pliocene. Hyraxes migrated north from Africa. Horse diversity declined, while tapirs and rhinos did fairly well. Bovines and antelopes were successful; some camel species crossed into Asia from North America. Hyenas and early saber-toothed cats appeared, joining other predators including dogs, bears, and weasels. Africa

1595-533: The Western Atlantic, assemblages of bivalves exhibited remarkable stasis with regards to their basal metabolic rates throughout the various climatic changes of the Pliocene. The Pliocene was a high water mark for species diversity among Caribbean corals. From 5 to 2 Ma, coral species origination rates were relatively high in the Caribbean, although a noticeable extinction event and drop in diversity occurred at

1650-582: The Zanclean until around 3.5 Ma. During the Piacenzian, from about 3.5 to 2.6 Ma, the region was forested at irregular intervals and contained a significant Saharan palaeoriver until 3.35 Ma, when trade winds began to dominate over fluvial transport of pollen. Around 3.26 Ma, a strong aridification event that was followed by a return to more humid conditions, which was itself followed by another aridification around 2.7 Ma. From 2.6 to 2.4 Ma, vegetation zones began repeatedly shifting latitudinally in response to glacial-interglacial cycles. The climate of eastern Africa

1705-718: The climate cooled. Venomous snake genera continued to increase as more rodents and birds evolved. Rattlesnakes first appeared in the Pliocene. The modern species Alligator mississippiensis , having evolved in the Miocene, continued into the Pliocene, except with a more northern range; specimens have been found in very late Miocene deposits of Tennessee . Giant tortoises still thrived in North America, with genera like Hesperotestudo . Madtsoid snakes were still present in Australia. The amphibian order Allocaudata became extinct. In

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1760-463: The closure of many of the mines in the area. The coastline of Kitamatsuura Peninsula is constantly changing due to erosion from the wind, rain, and ocean waves. The western area of the peninsula is a very wide and flat drowned river valley filled with many small islands including the Kujūku Islands . Much of the area is part of Saikai National Park . The coastal area between Tabira and Matsuura

1815-490: The cooler Messinian . This increase was related to the 1.2 million year obliquity amplitude modulation cycle . By 3.3-3.0 Ma, during the Mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (mPWP), global average temperature was 2–3 °C higher than today, while carbon dioxide levels were the same as today (400 ppm). Global sea level was about 25 m higher, though its exact value is uncertain. The northern hemisphere ice sheet

1870-475: The early-mid Pliocene (5 Ma – 3 Ma), after three-million-year intervals with modern or glacial ice volume became longer and collapse occurs only at times when warmer global temperature coincide with strong austral summer insolation anomalies. Continents continued to drift , moving from positions possibly as far as 250 km from their present locations to positions only 70 km from their current locations. South America became linked to North America through

1925-558: The end of this interval. Oceans continued to be relatively warm during the Pliocene, though they continued cooling. The Arctic ice cap formed , drying the climate and increasing cool shallow currents in the North Atlantic. Deep cold currents flowed from the Antarctic. The formation of the Isthmus of Panama about 3.5 million years ago cut off the final remnant of what was once essentially a circum-equatorial current that had existed since

1980-543: The first time since the Cretaceous , with North American rodents and primates mixing with southern forms. Litopterns and the notoungulates , South American natives, were mostly wiped out, except for the macrauchenids and toxodonts , which managed to survive. Small weasel-like carnivorous mustelids , coatis and short-faced bears migrated from the north. Grazing glyptodonts , browsing giant ground sloths and smaller caviomorph rodents , pampatheres , and armadillos did

2035-413: The influence of seasonal variation. More recent research has emphasized the variability selection hypothesis, which proposes that variability in climate fostered development of hominin traits. Improved climate proxies show that the Pliocene climate of east Africa was highly variable, suggesting that adaptability to varying conditions was more important in driving hominin evolution than the steady pressure of

2090-508: The island once again. The Hirado Domain was established and Hirado Castle built under leadership of the Matsuura clan in 1599. The castle was razed in 1613 and re-built in 1704. In 1609–1641, a Dutch trading post was established on Hirado Island before being transferred to Dejima . From 1613, the ships of William Adams started operating from Hirado Island too, but the British trade mission

2145-467: The island's total area. Hirado Island was formed as a horst elevated from the sea in Pliocene period. Its bedrock features a mixture of the sea sedimentary rocks of Tertiary period, mixed and overlaid by the recent igneous rock . Due to being relatively young, the island is very hilly with large fraction of area over 200 meters elevation, and flat land is limited to marginal coastal plains. The coastline

2200-460: The late Zanclean, Italy remained relatively warm and humid. Central Asia became more seasonal during the Pliocene, with colder, drier winters and wetter summers, which contributed to an increase in the abundance of C 4 plants across the region. In the Loess Plateau , δ13C values of occluded organic matter increased by 2.5% while those of pedogenic carbonate increased by 5% over the course of

2255-724: The now-separated Atlantic Ocean. Africa 's collision with Europe formed the Mediterranean Sea , cutting off the remnants of the Tethys Ocean . The border between the Miocene and the Pliocene is also the time of the Messinian salinity crisis . During the Late Pliocene, the Himalayas became less active in their uplift, as evidenced by sedimentation changes in the Bengal Fan . The land bridge between Alaska and Siberia ( Beringia )

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2310-504: The onset of continental glaciation in the Arctic, suggesting that vegetation changes in Australia during the Pliocene behaved similarly to during the Late Pleistocene and were likely characterised by comparable cycles of aridity and humidity. The equatorial Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature gradient was considerably lower than it is today. Mean sea surface temperatures in the east were substantially warmer than today but similar in

2365-400: The opposite, migrating to the north and thriving there. The marsupials remained the dominant Australian mammals, with herbivore forms including wombats and kangaroos , and the huge Diprotodon . Carnivorous marsupials continued hunting in the Pliocene, including dasyurids , the dog-like thylacine and cat-like Thylacoleo . The first rodents arrived in Australia. The modern platypus ,

2420-569: The peninsula to Hirado Island. Hirado Island Hirado Island ( 平戸島 , Hiradoshima ) (also previously named Hiranoshima and Firando Island) is the 4th largest island in Nagasaki Prefecture , located in the Sea of Japan . The entire island and the part of the nearby Kyushu mainland is administered as part of Hirado city. The island's highest peak is Mount Yasumandake 535 m (1,755 ft). Saikai National Park comprise 24% of

2475-776: The reorganisation of the Indonesian Throughflow. In the south-central Andes , an arid period occurred from 6.1 to 5.2 Ma, with another occurring from 3.6 to 3.3 Ma. These arid periods are coincident with global cold periods, during which the position of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies shifted northward and disrupted the South American Low Level Jet, which brings moisture to southeastern South America. From around 3.8 Ma to about 3.3 Ma, North Africa experienced an extended humid period. In northwestern Africa, tropical forests extended up to Cape Blanc during

2530-518: The scene. Bears, dogs and weasels (originally from North America) joined cats, hyenas and civets as the African predators, forcing hyenas to adapt as specialized scavengers. Most mustelids in Africa declined as a result of increased competition from the new predators, although Enhydriodon omoensis remained an unusually successful terrestrial predator. South America was invaded by North American species for

2585-400: The surrounding environment. Anthropologists tended to focus on intrinsic models while geologists and vertebrate paleontologists tended to put greater emphasis on habitats. Alternatives to the savanna hypothesis include the woodland/forest hypothesis, which emphasizes the evolution of hominins in closed habitats, or hypotheses emphasizing the influence of colder habitats at higher latitudes or

2640-573: The tableland are very steep. There is abundant evidence of ancient landslide activity throughout the peninsula. Much of the land is covered in rice fields , irrigated largely by abundant reservoirs . Within the stratum laid down during the Tertiary period , abundant coal deposits are found. These resources were developed following World War II , creating rapid economic growth in the Hokushō Region. However, alternative energy activism has led to

2695-495: The west. This condition has been described as a permanent El Niño state, or “El Padre.” Several mechanisms have been proposed for this pattern, including increased tropical cyclone activity . The extent of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet oscillated at the 40 kyr period of Earth's obliquity. Ice sheet collapse occurred when the global average temperature was 3 °C warmer than today and carbon dioxide concentration

2750-506: Was at 400 ppmv. This resulted in open waters in the Ross Sea . Global sea-level fluctuation associated with ice-sheet collapse was probably up to 7 meters for the west Antarctic and 3 meters for the east Antarctic. Model simulations are consistent with reconstructed ice-sheet oscillations and suggest a progression from a smaller to a larger West Antarctic ice sheet in the last 5 million years. Intervals of ice sheet collapse were much more common in

2805-437: Was closed in 1623. In 2005, the city merged with the neighboring towns of Tabira , Ikitsuki , forming Hirado city , compromising all of Hirado Island as well as part of Kyushu. The Hirado Bridge traverses the over-570-meters-wide strait that connects the Hirado Island to Kyushu . The bridge was completed in 1977 and the transit fee was cancelled in 2010. Also, Ikitsuki Bridge (completed in 1991) connects Hirado Island to

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2860-480: Was dominated by hoofed animals, and primates continued their evolution, with australopithecines (some of the first hominins ) and baboon-like monkeys such as the Dinopithecus appearing in the late Pliocene. Rodents were successful, and elephant populations increased. Cows and antelopes continued diversification and overtook pigs in numbers of species. Early giraffes appeared. Horses and modern rhinos came onto

2915-477: Was ephemeral before the onset of extensive glaciation over Greenland that occurred in the late Pliocene around 3 Ma. The formation of an Arctic ice cap is signaled by an abrupt shift in oxygen isotope ratios and ice-rafted cobbles in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean beds. Mid-latitude glaciation was probably underway before the end of the epoch. The global cooling that occurred during

2970-452: Was first flooded near the start of the Pliocene, allowing marine organisms to spread between the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. The bridge would continue to be periodically flooded and restored thereafter. Pliocene marine formations are exposed in northeast Spain , southern California , New Zealand , and Italy . During the Pliocene parts of southern Norway and southern Sweden that had been near sea level rose. In Norway this rise elevated

3025-541: Was very similar to what it is today. Unexpectedly, the expansion of grasslands in eastern Africa during this epoch appears to have been decoupled from aridification and not caused by it, as evidenced by their asynchrony. Southwestern Australia hosted heathlands , shrublands , and woodlands with a greater species diversity compared to today during the Middle and Late Pliocene. Three different aridification events occurred around 2.90, 2.59, and 2.56 Ma, and may have been linked to

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