Geographical Features The eastern seashore, where the DMZ is located, is composed mainly of sand. The inland is mostly mountainous districts with hills of about 100~200m in altitude, and there are 20~30m hills near the seashore. Behind the sandhills, there are lagoons such as Songji Lake and Hwajinpo, and Hwajinpo is the largest of the lagoons, which exist at the eastern seashore Geological Features The eastern part of Hyanglobongsan is mainly made of granite layers made during the Jurassic period. These granite layers are inserted between gneiss complex along the edge of Hyanglobongsan Severe soil erosion is under progress at the eastern slope of the mountains, which is mostly made of granite, due to the mechanical weathering. Pedological Features The eastern seashore area is mostly composed of hilly mountains with low altitudes. The soil here is mostly light yellow forest soil and eroded soil made from granite, and the major species of tree inhabiting here is a pine tree.

This area is experiencing artificial interferences such as lumbering and fire, resulting severe erosion. At the gentle slopes of low hills near the shore, around Whajinpho and Bonghwabong, brown forest soil and reddish brown forest soil form are wide spread. Quality of Water The average pH of streams near the eastern seashore area is 6.88, which satisfies the standard for the first quality streams. The electric conductivity is 68.8 US/cm, and it is in the range of other streams in mountainous area. The amount of dissolved oxygen is 10.8mg/l, and it is supersaturated with oxygen as well as satisfying the standard for the first quality streams.                                              (Source: Report on ecosystems in forests at DMZ and nearby areas by Korea Forest Service)