POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

College of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering

CIEN 20032
GEOLOGY FOR ENGINEERS

FINAL PROJECT
REGIONAL GEOLOGY
REGION V- BICOL REGION

GROUP NO. 1

Artuz, Reiner Veto A. Lobaton, Michael Douglas

Apacible, Jayke B. Roman, Jofersol M.
Daza, Ken Bernard G. Sabio, Denise Yuan C.
Dela Cruz, Michael Albert E. Souribio, Kate M.
Domingo, Regine B. Villanueva, James E.

NAME OF FACULTY
ENGR. RUFFA A. SAMONTEZA

DATE SUBMITTED
FEBRUARY 14, 2021
I. TABLE OF CONTENTS

II. REGIONAL GEOLOGY……………………………………………………………………….1

III. ALBAY………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
III.A. LOCATION MAP………………………………………………………………2
III.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES………………………………………………………..3
III.B.a VOLCANO………………………………………………………3
III.B. b FAULT ZONES…………………………………………………...3
III.C. RECORDED EVENTS…………………………………………………………...5
III.C. a. EARTHQUAKES/LIQUEFACTION…………………………….5
III.C. b. LANDSLIDES……………………………………………………6
III.C. c. TYPHOONS…………………………………………………….6
III.C. d. TSUNAMI……………………………………………………….7
III.C. e. ETC……………………………………………………………...7
III.D. MINERALS…………………………………………………………………………8
IV.CAMARINES NORTE……………………………………………………………………………10
IV.A. LOCATION MAP………………………………………………………………….10
IV.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES……………………………………………………………11
IV.B. a VOLCANO………………………………………………………11
IV.B. b FAULT ZONES……………………………………………………12
IV.C. RECORDED EVENTS………………………………………………………………13
IV.C. a. EARTHQUAKES/LIQUEFACTION…………………………….13
IV.C. b. LANDSLIDES……………………………………………………14
IV.C. c. TYPHOONS……………………………………………………..14
IV.C. d. TSUNAMI………………………………………………………..14
IV.D. MINERALS…………………………………………………………………………..15
V.CATANDUNAES………………………………………………………………………………….23
V.A. LOCATION MAP………………………………………………………………….24
V.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES……………………………………………………………25
V.B. a VOLCANO………………………………………………………25
V.B. b FAULT ZONES……………………………………………………26
V.C. RECORDED EVENTS………………………………………………………………26
V.C. a. EARTHQUAKES/LIQUEFACTION…………………………….26
V.C. b. LANDSLIDES……………………………………………………27
V.C. c. TYPHOONS……………………………………………………..27
V.C. d. TSUNAMI………………………………………………………..28
V.D. MINERALS…………………………………………………………………………..29

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VI. MASBATE……………………………………………………………………………………….30
VI.A. LOCATION MAP………………………………………………………………….31
VI.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES……………………………………………………………32
VI.B. a VOLCANO………………………………………………………32
VI.B. b FAULT ZONES……………………………………………………32
VI.C. RECORDED EVENTS………………………………………………………………33
VI.C. a. EARTHQUAKES/LIQUEFACTION…………………………….33
VI.C. b. LANDSLIDES……………………………………………………34
VI.C. c. TYPHOONS……………………………………………………..34
VI.C. d. TSUNAMI………………………………………………………..34
VI.C. e. ETC………………………………………………………………34
VI.D. MINERALS…………………………………………………………………………..35
VIi. SORSOGON……………………………………………………………………………………..36
VII.A. LOCATION MAP………………………………………………………………….37
VII.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES……………………………………………………………39
VII.B. a VOLCANO………………………………………………………39
VII.B. b FAULT ZONES……………………………………………………42
VII.C. RECORDED EVENTS………………………………………………………43………
VII.C. a. EARTHQUAKES/LIQUEFACTION…………………………….43
VII.C. b. LANDSLIDES……………………………………………………45
VII.C. c. TYPHOONS……………………………………………………..46
VII.C. d. TSUNAMI………………………………………………………..47
VII.D. MINERALS…………………………………………………………………………..48
VIII. APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………………….50
VIII.A. APPENDIX (ALBAY)………………………………………………………………50
VIII,B. APPENDIX (MASBATE)……………………………………………………………54
VIII.C. APPENDIX (SORSOGON)………………………………………………………...56

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II. REGIONAL GEOLOGY

The Region V also known as the Bicol Region compromises six (6)
provinces, four (4) on the mainland—Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and
Sorsogon – the offshore island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate. The
southern portion of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippine archipelago,
encompasses the Bicol Region. The overall land area is 5.9 percent of the
country's total land area. Around 69.3 percent of the overall land area is alienable
and disposable, while public forest areas account for the remaining 30.7 percent.
The area of Bicol is strongly volcanic in origin and part of the Pacific Fire Ring. The
volcanoes are the result of the Philippine Sea Plate subducting under the
Philippine Mobile Belt, around the Philippine Trench, known as the Bicol Volcanic
Arc or Chain. The number of hot springs, crater lakes, and volcanoes that dot the
area from Mount Labo in Camarines Norte to the Gate Mountains in Matnog,
Sorsogon demonstrates volcanism. Mayon Volcano, famed for its perfect conical
form and for being the most active in the Philippines, is the most prominent of the
volcanoes in the region.

The Bicol Region's geological system is divided into three zones: The
Northeastern Belt, the Central Belt, and the Southwestern Belt. They lay nearly
parallel to the direction in which the Peninsula of Bicol stretches. Pliocene to
recent volcanic rock is distinguished by the Northeastern Belt and the
Southwestern Belt. Their deposit-favorable level has been exposed and many
deposits and mineral displays are recorded. The types of deposits concerning are
porphyry type copper and gold deposits, and volcanogenic massive sulfide
deposits. The following Areas are considered to be promising in the basis of the
ground truth survey:

-Northeastern Belt: The Mt. Bagacay, The Larap-Exiban Area, and the
eastern part of the Caramoan Peninsula.
-Central Belt: The Kilbay Area, the northwest part of Tiwi-Mt.
Malinao area, the western part of Bacon-Manito area and the
Gate Mountains area.
-Southwestern Belt: The Tuba area

Source: https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11432648_02.pdf

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III. ALBAY
Author: Daza, Ken Bernard G.
Roman, Jofersol M.

III.A. LOCATION MAP

Albay is located at the southeastern part of Luzon, it lies at roughly

13°14′N 123°38′E. It is the second-largest province in the Bicol Region next to
Camarines Sur. It is bounded by the Sorsogon province to the south, Camarines
Sur to the north, Burias Pass to the west, and the Pacific Ocean to the east. The
province has a total land area of 2.575.77 square kilometers, ranked 53 rd in terms
of area in the provinces of the Philippines. The province is home to abundant
natural resources, its area of 250,000 ha is declared as a UNESCO Biosphere
reserve. The topography of the province is commonly mountainous, it has a line
of volcanic mountains in the eastern part of the province. Moving to the western
coast of the province, mountainous terrain can also be seen but not as high as
the line of mountains at the eastern part of the province.

Political Map of Albay

SOURCE:

• "Province: Albay". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics

Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2016.

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III.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES

III.B. a VOLCANO

• MOUNT MAYON

A stratovolcano standing at about 2,462 meters above sea level,

the highest point on the province. This volcano is considered as the most
active volcano in the entire Philippines. It is renowned worldwide for its perfect
cone shape but feared for its destructive eruptions. Mayon’s eruption history
occurs nearly every year in the past decade. An estimate of nearly one million
people lives in the vicinity of the deadly volcano, wherein the provincial
capital city of Legazpi is only situated 12 km from the crater of the volcano.
Due to its frequent activities, it is regularly monitored by the volcanology
institute of the nation through its provincial headquarters on Lignon Hill, about
12 kilometers from the summit.
The volcano and its surrounding vicinity were declared as the first
national park of the Philippines in 1938 and renamed as natural park in 2000.
It is also home to the biosphere reserves of the province as declared by
UNESCO in 2016.

III.B. b FAULT ZONES

A number of faults can be found in the province of Albay since it can be

considered as geologically active because of the presence of an active volcano
which is the Mount Mayon.
• LEGASPI LINEAMENT FAULT
According to Le Rouzic (1999), it is a seismically active fault and a
left-lateral fault with normal component to the east.

• SAN-VICENTE LINAO FAULT

It is a splay of the Philippine fault, which is believed to have a further
reach under the Pocdol range in Albay.

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 Map Illustrating the Fault Zones in Albay

SOURCES:

• Jentzsch, Gerhard & Haase, Olaf & Kroner, Corinna & Winter, Ulrich. (2001). Mayon
volcano, Philippines: Some insights into stress balance. Journal of Volcanology and
Geothermal Research. 109. 205-217. 10.1016/S0377-0273(00)00312-7.
• "Protected Areas in Region 5" Archived December 19, 2013, at the Wayback
Machine. Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau. Retrieved on February 9, 2021.
• "Protected Areas in Region 5" Archived December 19, 2013, at the Wayback
Machine. Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau. Retrieved on February 9, 2021.
• A.M.F. Lagmay, A.M.P. Tengonciang, H.S. Uy, Structural setting of the Bicol Basin
and kinematic analysis of fractures on Mayon Volcano, Philippines, Journal of
Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Volume 144, Issues 1–4, 15 June 2005,
Pages 23-36, ISSN 0377-0273, 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.11.015.

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III.C. RECORDED EVENTS

III.C. a EARTHQUAKES/ LIQUEFACTION

All earthquakes that occurred in Albay range from light to moderate

magnitude. The highest magnitude that was recorded in Albay happened on
September 19th of year 2020. It was magnitude 4.2, affecting 13 nearby towns and
cities with a recorded intensity of intensity III. The epicenter of the said earthquake
has a depth of 21 km, located at 8km S 70° E of Jovellar, Albay.
The earliest recorded earthquake that happened in Albay occurred on
August 4th of year 2016 at 11:02 AM PST. The earthquake has a magnitude of 3.5
and an intensity of intensity III, affecting 12 towns and cities. The depth of the
epicenter was 1 km, located at 4 km S 60° E of Tabaco, Albay. After that day,
another earthquake occurred with the same magnitude but with an intensity of
intensity IV despite affecting only 10 towns and cities. The date and time of the
earthquake was recorded on August 5th, 2016 during 9:12 PM PST. The epicenter
of the earthquake had a depth of 2 km and is located at 6 km N 75° E of Libog,
Santo Domingo, Albay.
Other notable earthquakes that occurred with details of its magnitude,
intensity, date, time, and location of epicenter are as follows: (1) Magnitude 3.8,
Intensity IV, happened on May 14, 2019 – 9:36 AM PST, located near Rapu-rapu,
Albay. (2) Magnitude 3.5, Intensity IV, June 8, 2019 during 6:23 PM PST at the
vicinity of Manito, Albay. (3) Magnitude 3.5, no intensity recorded, August 15th of
year 2019 at a time of 3:03 AM PST and is located near Manito, Albay. (4)
Moderate magnitude 4.0 with an intensity of intensity IV that occurred at January
11, 2020 – 9:17 AM PST, located near the vicinity of Rapu-rapu, Albay.

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III.C. b LANDSLIDES

A lot of landslides happen in Albay especially when there is a typhoon

affecting the province. Below are some of the recorded occurrence of landslides
in the said province.
February 27, 2008, 5 casualties occurred in Albay due to flood and
landslides while 64 villages of the province were declared to be landslide-prone
areas due to heavy torrential rains. Albay along with Sorsogon reached an
estimated damage in infrastructure and agriculture of 400 million pesos. There
were also heavy damages on road networks in the province.
January 10, 2011, it was recorded that 73 landslides occurred because of
the continuous heavy rains that poured in the province for the past 18 days.
Despite having a high count of landslides that occurred, there were zero
casualties. Due to the heavy rains, 98 out of 720 barangays in the province were
declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Mines and
Geoscience (DENR-MGB) as landslide and flash flood-prone areas.
December 30, 2018, 21 dead bodies were discovered and recovered in the
landslides that occurred in Albay, Camarines Sur. Several families were affected
due to the landslides but there were some families that weren’t able to survive
due to being buried alive by the landslides.

III.C. c TYHPOON

There are a lot of typhoons that hit Albay and a lot of those caused major
damage in the province, including infrastructure damages, agricultural
damages, and casualties.
One of the typhoons that produced a major damage to the province was
Typhoon Reming, made landfall on November 28,2006, that affected 1,060,875
persons. 618 of those were found dead, 1,465 were injured, and 419 went missing.
The total amount of damage that it caused were 3,230,435,702.00 pesos.
Another typhoon that caused billion of damages was Typhoon Juaning, July
22, 2011, affecting 765,365 persons, 16 deaths and 23 injured, and a total amount
of damage of 1,779,757,593.13 pesos. Meanwhile, Typhoon Glenda affected
500,506 persons. Despite having no dead bodies, injured, and missing people, it
caused a damage amounting to 9,624,218,312.09 pesos.
The recent typhoon that hit Albay was Typhoon Rolly with an international
name of Goni. It was labeled as the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in the

6
year 2020. Typhoon Rolly made a landfall on November 2, 2020. 14 people were
killed in Albay by the supertyphoon and made damage amounting to 6 billion
pesos. The strength of Typhoon Rolly damaged power lines, roads, houses, and
crops.

III.C. d TSUNAMI

March 11, 2011, residents of coastal villages in Albay were told to evacuate
to higher ground due to the tsunami threats. Threats were made because the
earthquake that occurred in Japan might cause tsunami along the coasts of
Albay. Up until now, there are still no tsunami occurrence recorded in Albay.

III.C. e etc.
Other geological events recorded in Albay are floods, mudflows, lahar flows and
ground raptures.
Floods are common in Albay especially when the province is hit by a typhoon.
One of the floods that caused major damage was the flood that was created
when the province was hit by Typhoon Rolly. That flood submerged the villages in
Albay while destroying the Kilicao bridge in some towns.
Typhoon Rolly also made way to the creation of mudflows that were triggered
by a swollen Ilawod river also affected some villages in Albay like the villages of
Gapo, Tinago, Ilawod, and Tagaytay in Camalig town.
Due to the same typhoon, again, lahar flows from the volcano, threatening
the residents to evacuate as much as possible.
Morphological evidence has shown that ground raptures does occur at the
southwestern side of the Bicol River Basins. It ranges from the Barangays of
Guyodan, Bato, Camarines Sur to the Barangay Bonbon Libon, Albay. These
structural features are underlain by siltstone-shale.

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III.D. MINERALS

Albay has a total land area and mineral potential of 257,577 hectares and 0.49%
or 1,262.65 hectares of the total land area are covered by mining tenements.
The province has a limestone mine, a polymetallic mine, and a perlite mine.
There are several mineral resources in Albay. The following minerals are
estimated reserve in MT. Gold, Silver, and Copper has a combined MT of
9,749,000; Iron has 17,500 MT; Pyrite – 5,304,500 MT; Limestone has the highest
estimated MT having 393,000,000 MT; Marble has 165,537,008 MT; Guano – 6,877
MT; Phosphate rock has 188,581 MT; Perlite has 9,670,940 MT; Red clay has
3,278,000 MT; Bentonite – 427,316 MT; and Kaolin has 189,000 MT.

SOURCES:
Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office. (2017, October 12). Amazing
Albay Tourism Weblink. Retrieved from rssa05.psa.gov.ph:
http://rsso05.psa.gov.ph/Albay-Tourism/Disasters/Typhoon.html

Arguelles, M. S. (2011, March 11). Inquirer.net. Retrieved from newsinfo.inquirer.net:

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/753/albay-coastal-villagers-being-moved-to-higher-
ground

Barcia, R. B. (2020, November 2). The Manila Times. Retrieved from manilatimes.net:
https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/11/02/news/regions/lahar-flash-floods-hit-
albay-road/790297/

Conde, M. (2018, December 30). Rappler. Retrieved from rappler.com:

https://www.rappler.com/nation/tiwi-albay-landslide-deaths

de Leon, E. (2008, February 27). reliefweb. Retrieved from reliefweb.int:

https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-bicol-floods-landslides-
casualties-rise-19

dela Rama, M. (2011, January 10). PreventionWeb. Retrieved from preventionweb.net:

https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/17421

Esplana, M. A. (2020, November 4). Inquirer.net. Retrieved from newsinfo.inquirer.net:

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1356190/damage-wrought-by-rolly-on-agriculture-
infra-hit-p6b

Esplana, M. A. (2020, November 3). Inquirer.net. Retrieved from newsinfo.inquirer.net:

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1355729/catanduanes-albay-bear-brunt-of-rolly

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Guinobatan Municipality Albay-Region V. (n.d.). GOVPH. Retrieved from
guinobatan.gov.ph: http://guinobatan.gov.ph/?page_id=74800

Mier-Manjares, M. A. (2020, November 1). Inquirer.net. Retrieved from

newsinfo.inquirer.net: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1354990/mudflow-floods-
submerge-villages-in-albay-towns-after-rolly-hits-bicol-region

Mines and Geosciences Bureau. (2017). Albay Mineral Profile. Albay: Department of
Environment and Natural Resources.

Volcano Discovery. (n.d.). Retrieved from volcanodiscovery.com:

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/place/1777/earthquakes/legazpi/largest.ht
ml

9
IV. CAMARINES NORTE
Authors: Apacible, Jayke B.
Souribio, Kate M.

The province population is unevenly distributed at the municipal levels

and varies in terms of growth. Some are growing fast with growth rates higher than
the regional and national averages while others are gaining minimally and some
are diminishing. The average household size of 102,362 households is about 5.23
and for every 100 females, there are about 105.23 males hanging around in the
province Though the province is suitable for agricultural and fishery production, is
also endowed with varied mineral resources classified as metallic and non-
metallic. Metallic minerals such as gold, silver, iron, lead, zinc, iron lump, bull quartz
and iron in laterite are abundant in the province.

IV.A. LOCATION MAP

Camarines Norte (is a province in the Philippines located in the Bicol
Region in Luzon. The province borders Quezon to the west, Camarines Sur to the
south, and the Philippine Sea to the north.

Camarines Norte is one of the six provinces in the Bicol Region and is
composed of 12 municipalities and its 282 barangays covers a total land area of
232,007 hectares or 2,320.07 sq. kilometers. Its capital town, Daet is 365 kilometers
southeast of Metro Manila, a 7-hour trip by bus or a 45-minute trip by plane. The
province’s topography is generally rugged. It is composed of rolling hills and
mountainous terrain with only a small but fertile coastal plain. It is endowed with
numerous mountain peaks in which Mt Labo is the highest at 943 meters above
the sea level.

SOURCE: "Province: Camarines Norte". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines:

Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2016 .

10
IV.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES
IV.B. a VOLCANO
Active Volcano in Camarines Norte

Mount Labo, is a potentially active stratovolcano in the province of

Camarines Norte, in the Bicol Region (Region V), on Luzon Island, in the Philippines.
It is located at the northwest end of the Bicol Peninsula.

Elevation 1,544 m (5,066 ft) 

Prominence 1,524 m (5,000 ft) 

Isolation 73.5 km (45.7 mi) 

Listing Potentially active volcano

Ultra

Coordinates 14°00′48″N 122°47′15″E Coordinates: 14°00′48″N 122°47′15″E 

Physical Features:
Labo is a forested andesitic stratovolcano, surrounded by
numerous andesitic to dacitic satellite lava domes. It has an elevation of 1,544
metres (5,066 ft) asl. Base diameter of this complex volcano is 35 kilometres
(22 mi). Labo is thermally active with both warm and hot springs.

Eruptions
Labo last erupted about 27,000 years ago, but still shows geothermal
activity, in the form of warm and hot springs. There is geothermal exploration
near Labo volcano. Mid-Pleistocene eruptions beginning about 580,000 years
ago formed lava domes on the northern side of the complex. The present edifice

11
was formed beginning about 270,000 years ago, and flank lava dome
emplacement took place from about 200,000 to about 40,000 years ago.

Inactive Volcanoes

Volcano Elevation(ft) Coordinates

Mount Bagacay 2,543 14°13′N 122°49.5′E

13°53.75′N 123°05.25′E
Mount Colasi 1,270

Colasi Peak 3,146 13°55′N 123°01′E

SOURCE:
"Labo". Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Archived from the
original on 1 Sep 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
"Labo". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 19 March
2019.

IV.B. b FAULT ZONES

There are no known active faults in the Province of Camarines norte.

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IV.C. RECORDED EVENTS
IV.C. a EARTHQUAKES/ LIQUEFACTION
The 1628 Camarines earthquake hit Camarines, in the Philippines in 1628.
Fourteen different shocks were documented. The date is unidentified. The United
States' National Geophysical Data Center labels the damage as "severe" and the
overall number of homes damaged as "many".
Epicenter: 13.2°N 123.7°E

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs)

instruments recorded a 5.6 magnitude earthquake at the Richter scale with
epicenter at Catarman in Northern Samar at about 10:11 p.m. on Monday, March
3, 2008. Ed Laguerta, Phivolcs Bicol resident volcanologist, said the earthquake
with intensity 4 in this city and Daet, Camarines Norte. The quake rocked the Bicol
area for about 10 to 25 seconds, but no one was reported injured and it did not
cause any damage to private and public structures, the Office of Civil Defense
(OCD) in Bicol reported on Tuesday.

On May 2013, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced

the quake on its website. It is situated 93 kilometers north-northeast of the town of
Vinzons in Camarines Norte, with a magnitude of 5.3. At intensity 2, the shaking is
strong enough to be felt at rest by individuals. Arnel Ferrer, officer of the
Camarines Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council,
said no damage reports were reported in any of the nearby coastal towns.

Weak mag. 2.6 earthquake - 12 km south of Daet, Camarines Norte, Bicol,

Philippines, on Tuesday, 9 Feb 2021 4:10 am
Magnitude: 2.6
Depth: 11.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 14°N / 122.96°E (Camarines Norte, Bicol, Philippines)
Nearest volcano: Isarog (59 km / 37 mi)

A Magnitude 5.1 earthquake rocked parts of Camarines Norte Friday morning,

February 5, 2021.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Director Renato Solidum said
the quake was tectonic in origin and struck Tinaga Island in Vinzons, Camarines
Norte at 6 a.m. Phivolcs previously recorded the quake at Magnitude 5.4.
The quake was felt at Intensity IV in Capalonga, Camarines Norte,
Intensity II in Goa and Naga City, Camarines Sur; and Calauag, Quezon Province
and Intensity I in Cainta, Rizal.

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IV.C. b LANDSLIDES

At least 4 people were killed in 2 landslides in Camarines Norte, the

province's governor said on Sunday after the onslaught of tropical depression
Usman. -Dec 30, 2018

The national roads in two towns in Camarines Norte and Sorsogon provinces
were blocked by loosened soil, rocks, and debris, following landslides on
Wednesday that were triggered by Typhoon “Ulysses.” -Nov 11, 2020

IV.C. c TYHPOON
Goni, one of the most powerful typhoons in the world this year, evoked
memories of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing,
flattened entire villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in
the central Philippines in November 2013.

Super typhoon Rolly largely spared Camarines Norte when it lashed

southern Luzon Sunday, with damage mostly confined on banana crops. The
province only took minimal damage in infrastructure while its communication lines
had been partially restored. Rolly, which is among the strongest tropical cyclones
to hit the Philippines since super typhoon Yolanda in 2013, comes a week after
typhoon Quinta ravaged parts of Luzon and the Visayas.

Half of the province of Camarines Norte is inundated after Typhoon Ulysses

dumped inches of rain and brought flooding to six of the province’s 12 towns,
according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol on Thursday (Nov. 12).
Jssar Adornado, OCD Bicol operation division chief, said an aerial inspection
showed severe flooding in nearly all the towns, with half still flooded even after
Ulysses had left and leaving 21,000 persons displaced.

IV.C. d TSUNAMI

There are no recorded tsunamis in Camarines Norte.

SOURCES:
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-quake-and-floods-hit-bicol
https://www.google.com/amp/s/newsinfo.inquirer.net/400461/5-1-quake-hits-coast-off-
camarines-norte/amp
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/quake-info/6091653/mag2quake-
Feb-8-2021-010-km-S-04-E-of-Daet-Camarines-Norte-Philippines.html

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https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.abs-cbn.com/amp/news/02/05/21/magnitude-
54-quake-rocks-camarines-norte-felt-in-marikina-pasig
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/30/18/4-dead-in-camarines-norte-landslides
https://www.google.com/amp/s/newsinfo.inquirer.net/1359262/landslides-hit-sorsogon-
camarines-norte-towns/amp
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.staradvertiser.com/2020/11/01/breaking-
news/super-typhoon-weakens-after-slamming-philippines/amp/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.abs-cbn.com/amp/news/11/02/20/camarines-
norte-escapes-brunt-of-typhoon-rolly
https://www.google.com/amp/s/newsinfo.inquirer.net/1360000/ulysses-leaves-half-of-
camarines-norte-submerged-in-flood/amp

IV.D. MINERALS
The gold deposits and Inineral showings of Camarines Norte can be classified into
the following three areas in terms of distribution:
1. The Jose Panganiban-Paracale area
2.The Sta. Elena-Tabas area
3.The Nalesbitan-Tuba area

Of those areas, 1. and 2. represent the second most important gold

production area in the history of the Philippines, having produced more than 160
t of gold in the past (Mitchell and Leach, 1991)

The Jose Panganiban-Paracale Area

Most of the gold deposits distributed in the area were developed before
World War Il, and many of the mines were closed by the end of the fifties. Many
of them underwent further prospecting in the eighties in a redevelopment effort,
but only one of the mines is still operational: the Longos Mine of the company
United Paragon (actual production figure for 1994: 2.37 t of gold; MMAJ Resource
Information Center, 1977 ).

Among the main mines located in this area are the Longos Mine (cn37),
the La Suerte Mine (cn225), the San Mauricio (Olecram) Mine (cn230), the Magna
Mine and the Paracate Gumaos Mine (cn30). Ali of them are of the metalliferous
vein type, with the characteristics indicated below. Mitchell and Leach (1991)
consider all of them to be epithermal gold mines, whereas Sillitoe et al.(1990)
consider them to be the metalliferous vein type of gold base metal mineralization
often observed in the vicinity of porphyry type copper and gold systems.

15
 - Wall rock: Paracale granodiorite (Mitchell and Leach (1991) call it the
Paracale trondjhemite)

Direction: N 100 E strike, with steep slope

- Distribution: Most of it is distributed at the north side contact (with the

ultrabasic rock) of the Paracale granodiorite body. There is hardly any
distribution of it at the south side contact.

- Morphological characteristics: The veins are thicker at the fringe of the

granodiorite bodies, and the mineralization there is also more
pronounced. It disappears within several meters to several tens of meters
after entering the ultrabasic rock. The vein width gets narrower going
toward the inside of the granodiorite rock body, and the grade also
declines until a "barren core" is reached.

- High grade part: At intersections of veins and where branch veins

leave main veins. - Characteristics of the veins: There are two kinds of
veins:

l . Green quartz veins: Distributed near contact with the ultrabasic rock.

2. White quartz veins: This kind is more frequent. Quartz and quartz-calcite veins.
fine-grained quartz stringers, vugs, coarse sphalerite and galena bands, etc. are
observed. Also characterized by high base metal content.

- Ore minerals: pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite,

covelline, sphalerite, galena, and tetrahedrite. Characterized by many
base metal sulfide minerals, Pb, Ag, Zn and Cu having been recovered
at many mines. MO and W also present in traces. The combined Pb and
Zn content is 0.5-1.0%.

- Fluid inclusion homogenization temperature: According to the data

available on the veins of the San Mauricio (Olecram) Mine (cn230) for
the most part it lies within the range 220-3000 C.

- Other characteristics: The veins undergo the following change from the deep
part to the shallow part: Deep part: Quartz vein with clear profile and without
development of alteration zone of the wall rock. Shallow part: Change to
stringers, with silicification and developed sericite alteration of the wall rock and
with decline in gold content.

16
Extraction took place at a depth of approximately 300 m (because there is inflow
of water at the deep part).

Sta. Elena-Tabas Area

This area extending from the Larap Peninsula through the vicinity of
Batobalani and to the north of Mt. Bagacay, is situated south of the above-
mentioned Paracale area. It roughly coincides with the "base metal belt" and
"iron belt" defined by Frost (1959). It is an area of distribution of the Univ ersal
formation, considered to date back to the late Paleocene epoch to the Eocene
epoch, which is intruded by many stocks of what is called the Tamisan diorite
(middle Miocene epoch). That Universal formation is also intruded by about
twenty small rock bodies of dacitic porphyy assigned to the Pliocene epoch
(United Nations, 1987).

The gold deposits and mineral showings of this area are divided by Mitchell and
Leach

(1991) into the following two types:

l) Base metal and gold showings accompanying iron deposits 2) Epithermal vein
type deposits

The following deposits and mineral showings are cited by that source as
belonging to type l):

- Matanlang porphyry copper and molybdenum deposit

According to Sillitoe and Gappe (1984), this deposit has a gold grade of 0.4 g/t
Au. This will be discussed further in a later section (concerning copper).

- Submakin base metal mineral prospect (cn222)

The sulfide ore has a gold grade of 0.26 g/t Au.

- Penarco magnetite and base metal deposit

Gold anomalies are noted in soil thought to originate in calcite veins cutting the
skarn.

Pinagbirayan Munti magnetite deposit (cn239)

17
 In geochemical exploration of the soil the abnormal values of 3.9 ppm
Au and 3 ppm Ag were obtained. In rock samples the values were 0.3 ppm Au
and 0.2 ppm Ag. The value for copper was 350 ppm.

Tabas mineral showing (cn219)

Gold particles have been detected in the soil and in heavy minerals. The
soils originate in the hornfelsized mudstone and andesite-diorite breccia that is
the wall rock of the magnetite deposits.

The gold accompanying such porphyry copper and base metal-iron

skarn deposits occurs widely in this area, but its economic value is considered to
be low.

The following deposits and mineral showings are cited by that source as
belonging to type 2): Paracale National, Paracale d'Oro Mine, Nico Mine, Exiban
Mine (cn203, cn228) and Santa Rosa Sur (Tidi) (cn207), etc.

The common characteristics are the fact that they are ali the
metalliferous vein type of deposit and the fact that they are all amply
accompanied by not only pyrite but also chalcopyrite, sphalerite, bornite,
covelline and other base metal sulfide minerals. Furthermore, in many cases the
fluid inclusion homogenization temperature has the comparatively high value of
2502700 C. Geologically they are distributed in the Universal formation of the
Eocene epoch, and around them there is distribution of small rock bodies of
diorite from the middle Miocene or dacite porphyry from the Pliocene. The main
deposits are briefly discussed in the following.
The Paracale National deposit has two veins with a north-northeast strike
as its main ore bodies, and its gold grade is 6-9 g/t Au. Its ore minerals are pyrite,
chalcopyrite and sphalerite >>(?) bornite, chalcocite and covelline. The fluid
inclusion homogenization temperature of the quartz vein is 255-2709 C. Between
the two veins there is a developed zone of illite-quartzpyrite alteration which
going eastward becomes a zone of epidote-chlorite alteration. There is
accompaniment by skarn mineralization.

The Exiban deposit (cn203, cn228) is situated at the southwest end of the
Sta. Elena-Tabas area. The wall rock is andesite, siltstone and tuff of the
Bosigon formation dating back to the early Miocene which are intruded by diorite
and dacite dikes. Recently boring data, too, as been given by James and Fuchs
(1990). Mineralization is to be noted in veins with a nonhnortheast direction and
in shear zones. The veins are massive to cockscomb quartz veins accompanied

18
by calcite and dolomite. The gold is accompanied by pyrite. There is also up to
3% accompaniment by chalcopyrite and bismuth tellurides. In the deep part
molybdenite is also to be observed. The cobalt content of the sulfides is 1000 ppm.
James and Fuchs (1990) are of the opinion that the magmatic constituent
contributed the most to such mineralization considering the combination of
minerals and the fluid inclusion homogenization temperature, and they surmise
that there is basic rock in the deep part from the fact that cobalt is included.

The Santa Rosa Sur (Tidi) deposit (cn207) is located 1 km east of the
Paracale National Mine. In the eighties it was exploited by small operators. After
a high-grade part was discovered, the company Benget started strip mining in
1988. Mineralization is to be seen in shear zones and at quartz stringers. From the
direction of the old pit it can be seen that the vein direction has a strike in the
direction of the east. There is a zone of developed silicification with a width of 2
m in the quartz-illite-pyrite alteration zone with a width of approximately 7 m.
Pyrite veins are also to be observed. The fluid inclusion homogenization
temperature of the pyrite has values of 210-260 oc.

The Nalesbitan-Tuba Area

This area is situated near the provincial border between Camarines Norte
and Quezon. In it are distributed the Macogon formation dating back to the
Pliocene and, to the, southwest of it,the Tigbinan formation, which is assigned to
the late Cretaceous period. The United Nations (1987) says that before World War
Il there was extraction of gold and silver at the Tuba Mine located near Mt. Tuba
in the Tigbinan formation, but there are no details concerning that in view of the
fact that the existing literature does not mention it.

The Nalesbitan Mine (cn204) is discussed in detail by Sillitoe et al. (1990).

Furthermore, a summary description of recently implemented exploration is given
in "Mining Philippines '97" . The following is an outline description of the
characteristics of the mine.

- Location: The mine is located on a ridge with an elevation of 100-300

m and running in the northwest direction at the upper reaches of the
Palali, a tributary of the Bosigon River.

- Wall rock: The deposit lies in hornblende andesite and homogeneous

lapilli tuff considered to belong to the Macogon formation dating back
to the Pliocene epoch.

19
 Mineralization: The mineralization is restricted by a fault in the northwest
direction (a left lateral fault). It is distributed over an elevation interval of
approximately 150 m from 300 m to 150 m on a ridge top outcropping to the
surface. The mineralization zone continues for 1.3 km in the direction of the strike,
the width varying between 145 m and 12 m. Mineralization exists in two en
echelon strips of hydrothermal rubble running in the northwest-southeast direction
that are subject to chalcedonic silicification. Those silicified rubble strips br oaden
as the depth gets shallower, and it appears that they each converge arterically
going down to deeper depths. Furthermore, a large number of chalcedonic
quartz stringers are to be observed in the silicificated rubble strips as well as
evidence of repeated occurrence of brecciation and vein activity. The
mineralization strips have been subjected to oxidation by supergene to a depth
of 130 m. At places where sulfide minerals remain gold occurs accompanied
by sulfides that include copper of the rubble strip matrix and veins. However, it
appears that there has been no copper or gold mineralization in the initial-stage
chalcedonic quartz-pyrite strips. The most frequent combination of sulfide
minerals is pyrite-chalcocite, and next come the combinations pyrite-bornite and
pyrite-covelline. At some places there is occurrence of enargite with
accompaniment of chalcocite and bornite. Gold and silver tellurides are to be
observed as exsolution lamella of enargite. No galena or sphalerite are to be
found.

- Homogenization temperature: According to the United Nations (1987),

the homogenization temperature of the quartz is 210-2400 C. Sillitoe et
al. (1990) reported 223-2250 C and estimated the depth of trapping
of the fluid at 300-500 m below the old groundwater level.

- Alteration: Silicification strips occur lenticular\y with a northwest trend.

That is roughly in the middle of the hydrothermal brecciation zone. They
consist of chalcedonic silica and contain considerable quantities of
pyrite dissemination. The silicification strips are surrounded by an
advanced argiilic zone. The combination quartz-kaolinite-alunite is
predominant, with accompaniment of trace quantities of sericite and
diaspore. An illite zone is distributed around the silicification zone and
advanced argillic alteration zone. There are illite and smectite mixed-
layer clays, further outward becoming the combination chlorite-calcite.

Sillitoe et al. (1990) asserted that this mineralization was formed in a

"dilational jog" that occurred in the latetal fault system and surmised that the
mechanism for precipitation of the gold was boiling. Furthermore, they suggested
the possibility of existence of a porphyry type copper and gold deposit deep
down in this area in view of the fact that there are more copper sulfides and a

20
higher MO content than in the case of other gold deposits of the acid-sulfate
type.

The findings of the prospecting proyam recently implemented by El Dore Mining

Corporation can be summarized as follows:

- A deposit with the high grade of 81 g/t Au was found at a point 300 m
northeast of the strip mining (Mill site/Singko Zone). That mineralization
s&ip can be pursued 250 m in the strike direction and has a maximum
width of 25 m. It has roughly the same direction as the first open-pit
deposit.

- High-grade ore was also found at Bagong Trese, Tres and Bagong
Dose.

- An IP anomaly (700 m x 400 m) was found deep at Bagong Dose

(about 800 m south of the open pit). Dissemination-type sulfide ore is
surmised, and there are hopes regarding the possibility of a porphyry
type deposit. The small quartz vein at the surface of Bagong Dose has a
grade of 30 g/t Au.

30-2 Copper

Many copper deposits and mineral showings are distributed in Frost's (1959)
abovementioned "base metal belt" and the Paracale area in Camarines Norte.
Furthermore, several copper mineral showings are to be found bunched together
in eastern Sta. Elena in the west part of that province.

A famous copper deposit is the Larap deposit (cn14) in Camarines Norte.

That deposit is one that used to be worked as the Larap iron mine, as will be
discussed later in the section on iron. It occurs in the skarn formed by substitution
of limestone in the Universal formation of the Paleocene epoch to Eocene epoch
along with intrusion of the diorite to syenite porphyric porphyry of the middle
Miocene epoch. In the deposit there are maytetite-pyrite strips, chalcopyrite-
molybdenite strips and gold-quartz-calcite veins overlapping those strips, The ore
reserves are reported (BMG, 1986) to consist of about 17 million t (Cu: 0.42%, Mo:
0.09%, Au: 3 g/t, Fe: 22%).

In addition, in the way of copper and molybdenum mineral showings

considered to be porphyry type mineralization there are the Matanlang,
Meycauayan and Igang mineral showings. The Matanlang mineral showing is
situated about 1.5 km southeast of the Larap deposit. Middle Miocene quartz

21
diorite has intruded into the Larap volcanic rock. There is also intrusion by dacitie
porphyry dikes. Sillitoe and Gappe (1984) consider that there is porphyry type
copper and molybdenum mineralization rich in gold. 65 million tons of ore
reserves with a grade of 0.35% Cu, 0.05% MO and 0.4 g/t Au are reported. The
white quartz veins are accompanied by molybdenum, and the homogenization
temperature is 300-3600 C (United Nations, 1987). The Meycauayan mineral
showing is located about 4.5 km west-southwest of Batobalani.

According to the United Nations (1987) surface survey, mineralized diorite

intrudes into the andesite, and soil geochemical anomalies showed the following
values: Cu 250 ppm, As 28 ppm, Te 0.5 ppm, MO 63-208 ppm. Quartz stringer
stockwork is developed in the quartz-sericite alteration zone. The mineralization is
considered to be a porphyry type copper and molybdenum system with low gold
grade. There is also distribution of acid alteration zones consisting of pyrophyllite,
diaspore, quartz and alunite. The Igang mineral showing is situated about 7.5 km
west of Batobalani. The Philippine Iron Mine carried out boring in 1974, confirming
the following mineralization in the marbleized limestone and skarn zones: Cu 1.2%
and MO 0.05% (United Nations, 1987).

As mentioned above, on the south side of the Paracale area in Camarines

Norte are to be found a large number of iron deposits and mineral showings, and
in the case of many of them copper occurs in accompaniment with such iron
mineralization. Those iron deposits are thought to be Skam type deposits, and
therefore they are expected to be accompanied by copper. Of those, the
main one is the Larap deposit, as mentioned above. Others include the
DawahanPenarco mineral showing (cn237), the Capacuan deposit (cnl 7,
cn238), the Batobalani mineral showing, the Submakin mineral showing (cn222),
the Dagang mineral showing, the Agusan deposit (cn42), the Pinagbirayan
deposit (cn220) and the Tagas mineral showing (cn45, cn219).

Source: https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11502143_02.pdf

22
V. CATANDUANES
AUTHORS: Dela Cruz, Michael Albert A.
Lobaton, Michael Douglas

Catanduanes is an island province in the Philippines situated east off the

Mainland Bicol of Luzon Archipelago. There are several legends that explain the
origin of the name of “Catanduanes.” One legend stated that Catanduanes
comes from the word tandu, a native click beetle that was once abundant
throughout the island. “Katanduan” was the reference made of this island that
means a place where tandu abound. When the Spaniards came, it was
Hispanized to Catanduanes (notice the phonological similarity, except for the
additional es in the Spanish version that was probably added to become a
pluralist). Another story says that it comes from the word samdong, a tree that
abounds this paradise island to which the people would call kasamdongan,
meaning a place of samdong. Just like the former legend, the word was
Hispanized. The phonological error traces to the Spaniards’ difficulty to
pronounce certain words, particularly those ending in ng; hence, from
kasamdongan and katandungan, it gradually metamorphosed to Catanduanes.
Still some historians point that katandungan is a Malay word that means “a place
of refuge in time of danger,” for indeed, this island has always been the refuge of
mariners during stormy weather.
The general referral in the framing of the history of Catanduanes runs parallel
to the story of Philippine evangelization. The best source of information on
Catanduanes, ex libris canonicus, was lost or destroyed during one of the many
incursions of the Moro pirates plying the Bicol Peninsula. In addition to the
significant facts from church records, some pieces of information were handed
down through word of mouth (be they facts, legends or tales). The important
events formed into the significance matrix if only to document the shades of the
past of this beautiful and happy island of Catanduanes.

23
V.A. LOCATION MAP
Catanduanes is situated on the easternmost edge of Luzon: 13.3 to 14.1
degrees north latitudes and between 124.1 to 124.3 degrees east longitudes. The
island bounded on the west by the Maqueda Channel, on the south by Lagonoy
Gulf, and on the north and east by the Philippine Sea. Several small islands
comprise the province. Its aggregate land area totals approximately 1,492.16
square kilometres (576.13 sq mi). The coastlines, that stretch to almost 400 km (249
mi), are jagged with many bays.
The topography of Catanduanes Island is rugged and mountainous,
becoming more pronounced towards the central portion of the island. Less than
10 percent of the land area has a slope gradient under 8 percent, mostly
fractured and narrow strips of plains located along the coastal areas where most
of the inhabitants are settled. The highest mountain peak is in Boctot, located
between the municipalities of Virac and San Miguel with an elevation of 803
metres (2,635 ft) above sea level. It is the premier mountain range with broadly
spread old-growth forests and watershed which exerts widespread influence over
its immediate environs that include the municipalities of Virac, Bato, and San
Miguel. Other prominent mountain forms include the ranges: Obi in Caramoran,
Cagmasoso in San Andres, and the Summit and Magsumoso ranges within the
Viga and Gigmoto areas.
The lowlands include the Virac Plain, Viga Plain, San Andres Plain and the
Bato River Flood Plain. The coastal municipalities with limited lowland agricultural
areas are Pandan and Caramoran. The more extensive lowlands are found in the
southern parts of the province. The largest coastal plain is the contiguous
wetlands of Viga, Panganiban and Bagamanoc over which lies the widest area
of rice paddies and nipa mangroves.

Photo courtesy: Google Maps

24
V.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES

V.B. a VOLCANO

There were no volcanos in Catanduanes but volcanos like Mayon volcano and
Mt. Masaraga can be seen from catanduanes
Mayon is the archetype of a symmetrical stratovolcano and one of the
world most active ones. It has frequent eruptions producing pyroclastic flows, mud
flows and ash falls that repeatedly triggered large-scale evacuations. Mayon's
most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1200 people and devastated
several towns. the volcano rises 2462 m above the Albay Gulf and has very steep
upper slopes averaging 35-40 degrees capped by a small summit crater.
Historical records of eruptions date back to 1616 and range from
strombolian to basaltic plinian, with cyclical activity beginning with basaltic
eruptions, followed by longer term andesitic lava flows. Eruptions occur
predominately from the central conduit and have also produced lava flows that
travel far down the flanks. Pyroclastic flows and mudflows have commonly swept
down many of the approximately 40 ravines that radiate from the summit and
have often devastated populated lowland areas.
Masaraga is a stratovolcano with a pointed top located 10 km NW of
Mayon volcano on Luzon Island in the Philippines.The flanks of the andesitic-to-
ryholitic volcano are covered by forested thick lava flows, indicating no recent
eruptions, but it is thought that it has erupted during the past 10,000 years and
might still be active.
Sources:

Go Catanduanes. (2020). Retrieved February 12, 2021, from Go Catanduanes website:

https://gocatanduanes.com/about-catanduanes/

Governor’s Office – Information unit of catanduanes. (2021). Retrieved February 12,

2021, from catanduanes website: https://catanduanes.gov.ph/catanduanes-history/

Wikipedia Contributors. (February 11, 2021). Retrieved February 12, 2021, from Wikipedia
website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catanduanes adapted from GVP / Smithsonian
Institution. (February 5, 2021). Retrieved February 12, 2021, from volcano discovery
website: https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/mayon.html

25
V.B. b FAULT ZONES

There were no recorded fault zones in mainland Catanduanes.

V.C. RECORDED EVENTS

V.C. a EARTHQUAKES/ LIQUEFACTION

A 4.3-magnitude quake jolted Catanduanes on November 16, 2020, the

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Phivolcs seismic instrument detected the temblor 22 kilometers south of
Baras town in Catanduanes at around 6:49 a.m. The depth of the quake, which
was of tectonic origin, was measured at 84 kilometers. Four hours earlier (2:16
a.m.), a 2.6 magnitude quake jolted Masbate with the epicenter some 23
kilometers east of Pio V. Corpuz town.
Phivolcs said the quake was an aftershock of the 5-magnitude earthquake
that shook Masbate on Sunday afternoon with an epicenter 18 kilometers east of
Pio V. Corpuz town. The quake of tectonic origin was 18 kilometers in depth.
(Philippine News Agency, 2020)

26
V.C. b LANDSLIDES
Heavy rains on the night of January 8, 2021 triggered flooding and
landslides in Catanduanes province.
In Catanduanes, floods and landslides hit the towns of Bato, Panganiban,
and Viga, the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office reported.
A landslide was reported at a road in Barangay Bagumbayan in Bato, making it
passable only to motorcycles. Flooding due to river swelling affected roads and
farmlands in Barangay Talisay also in Bato.
In Panganiban, the swelling of the Panganiban River affected roads,
farmlands, and villages along the river channel. In Viga, floodwaters from the river
channel submerged roads and farmlands. (Philippine News Agency, 2021)

V.C. c TYHPOON
More than 10,000 homes were damaged as Typhoon Rolly hit
Catanduanes. Based on the aerial survey of the Office of Civil Defense...the
estimated damage is 65% among houses made of light materials and 20% of
larger homes were destroyed.
In total, about 15,000 families were displaced by the super typhoon. The
Philippine National Police deputy chief for operations PGen. Cesar Binag reported
that there were 10 people who died in Catanduanes due to the super typhoon,
while 90% of infrastructure has been damaged based on their assessments. Rolly
battered the island province with maximum sustained winds of 225 kilometers per

27
hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 280 kph. Storm Signal No. 5 was
also raised in the area on Sunday.
The super typhoon also caused storm surges, which rose as high as 5 meters.
Storm surges occur when ocean levels rise and reach land like a huge wave,
pushed by the wind and submerging communities. (CNN Philippines, 2020)

V.C. d TSUNAMI

The Department of Agriculture Region 5 (DA 5) reported that more than P80
million worth of potential rice yield by farmers in the provinces of Camarines Sur,
Catanduanes and Sorsogon were lost due to the continuous rains and floods in
the past several weeks of January 2009. With its vast coastline, it also experienced
storm surges from the sea during typhoons and the possibility of a tsunami as a
result of an earthquake. (Comprehensive Household Vulnerability and Risk
Analysis, 2010)

28
V.D. MINERALS
Catanduanes has a total land area of 149, 216 hectares. Php 3.7 Billion or
2.0% Estimated Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of Region V under
mining and quarrying for 2018. It is worth noting that no mining operation is being
conducted in the Province of Catanduanes pursuant to Proclamation no. 123
dated June 23, 1987. The said proclamation declared parts of Catanduanes as a
Watershed Forest Reserve which covers 10 Municipalities which is 26,010
has.(Mines and Geosciences Bureau, 2018)

Mineral Resources in the Province (Estimated Reserves in MT)

Iron - 63,000
Manganese - 158,385
Limestone - 404,000,000
Marble - 8,514,411
Guano - 4,537
Phosphate rock- 1,752
White Clay - 3,600

SOURCES
https://region5.mgb.gov.ph/attachments/category/27/CATANDUANES_Mineral_Profile_
2018_final_v2.pdf

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1121931#:~:text=LEGAZPI%20CITY%20%E2%80%93%20A
%204.3%2Dmagnitude,and%20Seismology%20(Phivolcs)%20said.&text=Four%20hours%20
earlier%20(2%3A16,Corpuz%20town.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126866

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/11/2/Super-Typhoon-Rolly-Goni-
Catanduanes.html?fbclid=IwAR3sfI3BeGyfWacK_4xDjXW6pJFgIm76lAeBUlbiF1AIZ9dX_Q
h8ZlzGJ7c

https://www.preventionweb.net/files/13934_13934ComprehensiveHouselholdVulnera.p
df

29
VI. MASBATE
AUTHORS: Villanueva, James E.
Artuz, Reiner A.

Masbate Province is an island province of the Philippines located in

Bicol Region. Its capital is Masbate City and consists of three major islands:
Masbate island, Ticao island, and Burias island. The Masbate is located near the
midsection of the nation’s archipelago. Masbate is at the crossroads of two island
groups: Visayas and Luzon. It is politically part of Bicol Region, however, from a
bio-geographic and socio-ethno-linguistic persepective, it is grouped in the
Visayas. The Masbate Pass seperates the two islands of Burias and Ticao from the
main island of Masbate. Its southern portion encloses the Asid Gulf while the
Jintotolo Channel separates it from Panay Island.

When the province was transferred to Bicol region during the regime of
the late President Ferdinand Marcos, they started to be called “Bicolanos” or
“Masbatenos”, but the people of Masbate were formerly called “Visaya”. Many
of its residents are immigrants from other provinces such as Romblon and Panay
Island provinces and they are also known as best when it comes to agriculture,
history, politics and geography means and is designated as a first-class province.

Majority of the people speak in Minasbate as the main language of the

city. There are, however some people who speak Cebuano and Hiligaynon.
Source of living of the people are equally divided according to the place where
they live. The population of Masbate in the 2015 census was 892,393 people, with
a density of 210 inhabitants per square kilometer or 540 inhabitants per square
mile. This represents 15.39% of the total population of the Bicol Region, 1.55% of
the overall population of the Luzon island group, or 0.88% of the entire population
of the Philippines.

Masbate is also known as the ranch capital of the Philippines where

cowhands on horseback herd cattle across wide and beautiful landscapes.
Highly suited for ranching due to its weather and terrain, Masbate’s livestock
industry to this very day plays a huge role in the region’s economy. And among
the provinces of Bicol, only this island shows increasing cattle production of 3,790
heads per year.

30
VI.A. LOCATION MAP

The province lies roughly at the center of the Philippine archipelago

(figure 1a), between latitudes 11°43' north and 123°09' east and 124°5' east. It is
bounded on the north by Burias and Ticao Pass, east by San Bernardino Strait,
south by the Visayan Sea, and west by the Sibuyan Sea. The island lies 30 miles (48
km) southwest of the southern tip of Luzon and is V-shaped, with the open end of
the V forming the Asid Gulf on the south.

The province has a land area of 4,151.78 square kilometers or 1,603.01

square miles.

31
VI.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES

VI.B. a VOLCANO

There are no active and inactive volcanoes that can be found in the
province of Masbate.

VI.B. b FAULT ZONES

The fault in Masbate and Leyte Islands are more continuous and
produced only moderate earthquakes in the past 400 years. There are
geomorphic and geodetic evidence of aseismic creeping on the Philippine fault
in northern and central Leyte. These observations suggest that the Philippine fault
may be comparable to the San Andreas fault in that both of the faults are
composed of locked, transition and creeping segments as previously
suggested.

The Philippine fault traverses the eastern edge of Masbate Island almost
parallel to the coastline for a length of ~30 km (figure 1b). The surface trace lies
along a linear trough that trends N40DW and is fairly straight except for steps less
than 300 m in width west of Palanas. Bacolcol et al. (2005) calculated 22D 2
mm/yr slip rate for the Philippine fault on this island based on campaign mode
GPS surveys. The Philippine fault here is seismically active with several moderate
earthquakes in historic time. The 2003 Ms 6.4 Masbate earthquake whose
epicenter was located offshore in Naro Bay was a moderate earthquake,
however, 18-km-long surface rupture appeared on land along the Philippine fault.

The surface rupture was characterized by en echelon fractures and mole

tracks. The slip was predominantly left lateral and the maximum displacement
was 47 cm (PHIVOLCS Quick Response Team, 2003). Paleoseismic trenching of the
surface rupture by Papiona and Kinugasa (2008) identified stratigraphic evidence
for four surface-rupturing earthquakes in the past 680 years.

Source: Tsutsumi, H. and Perez, J.S., 2013. Large-scale active fault map of the Philippine
fault based on aerial photograph and interpretation. Active Fault Research, 39, 29 -37.

32
VI.C. RECORDED EVENTS (1 to 2 pages)

VI.C. a EARTHQUAKES/ LIQUEFACTION

Since 2001, there are two (2) known large earthquakes that was recorded
from Masbate.
The 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Masbate on February 15, 2003 7:01
in the evening. Preliminary epicenter determination implied that the event was
formed along the Philippine Fault Zone (PFZ) Masbate Segment in central
Philippines. The epicenter was located offshore on the island of Magcaraguit
(12.2N, 123.8E) and was approximately 22 kilometers deep, approximately 28 km
east of Masbate City. Intensity surveys indicated that this foreshock in the
epicentral region was particularly strong and suffered damage. In the
municipality of Palanas, Masbate recorded that some residents of affected
buildings straddling the fault reported that their houses were destroyed by the
foreshock manifested by noticeable cracks on walls and floors and as fissures in
fields and gardens.
Last August 18, 2020 8:03am, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit the
province of Masbate in the Bicol region (figure 1c). Tectonic in nature, the tremor
was felt in the whole area of Bicol and in the Visayas in many provinces. The
epicenter was located at a depth of 21 kilometers, 7 kilometers southwest of
Cataingan City, and was followed on August 19 by over 210 aftershocks with a
maximum magnitude of 5.1. The earthquake left one person dead and wounded
51 people, according to the government's new status survey. The earthquake of
Magnitude 6.6 on August18 2020 was felt with the highest ground shaking strength
of PEIS VII (Destructive). Most individuals got terrified and rushed outside at PEIS
VII. On the upper levels, people find it hard to stand. Overturn or topple heavy
items and chairs. The trees are trembling strongly. The big church bells rang. There
is substantial damage to old or poorly built buildings. Many cracks on dikes,
fishponds, road surfaces, or hollow concrete block walls can occur . Around the
epicenter, liquefaction symptoms (e.g. subsidence, sand boils, lateral spreads,
etc.) are found in low-lying areas and landslides in mountains.
Other previous significant events that affected Masbate area were
recorded from 1957, 1967, 1973, 1979, 1989, 1998. The northern section of the
Masbate Fault: PFZ suggested higher activity rates, given where major incidents
were accurately known. In addition, it is obvious from the above measurements
that the event causes a relatively broad ground rupture motion in this section of
the PFZ.

33
VI.C. b LANDSLIDES

In the 2003 earthquake, in the northern part of Ticao Island, as well as in

the Hamoraon and Cudao Islands between Magcaraguit and Deagan Islands in
Dimasalang, small rockfalls were observed in Sitio Kumawit, Monreal. In these
above-listed islands, pieces of limestone exposed along steep cliffs lining the
shoreline collapsed. In the August 2020 earthquake near the shores of Barangay
Casabangan, Pio V. Corpuz town in Masbate province, a sinkhole was spotted
(figure 1d).

VI.C. c TYHPOON

In 2008, FRANK held power by 5 PM on June 20, when it crossed Samar.

Again, forecasters plotted that FRANK would travel north to Bicol and leave the
region, but FRANK defied the prediction that the smaller islands of Samar would
be struck. Different weather agencies then modified different forecasts northward
to Camarines and Quezon Provinces with FRANK and will leave the region, while
others plotted it to travel northwest through Masbate and Southern Tagalog. Navy
vessels were then recommended to seek sanctuary in the nearby Northern Panay
and Romblon Islands. FRANK slowly jogged westward at about 8 PM, sweeping
the southern tip of Masbate.

VI.C. d TSUNAMI

There were very few or almost none of these kinds of phenomena during
the February 2003 incident. Just near and around the northwestern part of Ticao
Island were reports of irregular wave height and activity found. The tsunami in the
northwest of Ticao Island will most likely be due to local underwater landslides, as
observed displacement along the ground breakup shows very small and
localized vertical displacement.

VI.C. e etc.
In 2003, Via field investigations, the ground rupture was checked and
mapped. The overall length of the onland rupture is roughly 18 km, transiting many
Dimasalang, Palanas and Cataingan barangays. The ground breach was
primarily distinguished by right stepping en echelon defects with a general
pattern from ~N3OW to ~N4OW and a median opening of 20 cm. The overall

34
horizontal displacement in Brgy was 47cm along the fault. Sta.-Sta. While the
highest vertical displacement was observed in Brgy (23cm), Cruz, Palanas.
Dimasalang, Suba. The average horizontal and vertical displacements mapped
were 15 cm and 5 cm respectively along the field rupture.

SourceS:

Staff, P. (n.d.). 2003 February 15 Ms6.2 Masbate Earthquake. Retrieved February 06,
2021, from https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/earthquake/destructive-
earthquake-of-the-philippines/17-earthquake/30-2003-february-15-ms6-2-
masbate-earthquake

Dost-Phivolcs. (n.d.). PRIMER on the 18 August 2020 magnitude (Mw) 6.6 Masbate
earthquake. Retrieved February 06, 2021, from
https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/10460-primer-on-the-18-
august-2020-magnitude-mw-6-6-masbate-earthquake#

VI.D. MINERALS
Masbate is endowed with rich natural resources. In line with its agriculture
are other industries such as large farming, livestock and poultry raising. Rich
minerals are found in the province. Masbate is described by geologists as a
province sitting on a "pot of gold". Other minerals found in the area are
manganese, copper, silver, iron, chromite, limestone, guano, and carbon.
Cottage industries such as furniture and cabinet making, ceramics, garments,
handicrafts and metalcrafts, are likewise source of livelihood.

The province has major economic activities of gold mining/panning and

processing, farming, fishing and cattle raising. An estimated gross regional
domestic product or GRDP of Bicol region under mining and quarrying for 2018 is
around 3.7 Billion pesos. Gold has a gross output of 6,733.84kg for 14.5 Billion pesos
while silver has 4,925.08kg for 130.9 Million pesos. The Masbate province export to
Switzerland gold at 7,338.68kg valued at 15.7 Billion pesos and silver at 5,345.92kg
valued at 116.6 Million pesos.

Amount of national and local taxes, fees and royalties generated and
contributed to the Philippine economy by operating mines in the province is at
2.2 Billion pesos. The mineral resources (Estimated reserve in MT) in the Masbate
province is: a.) Gold, silver, and copper – 5,050,850, b.) Copper – 30,100, c.)
Marble - 832,500, d.) Guano – 30,742, e.) Phosphate rock – 32,742.

35
Sources:
Republic of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural
Resources., “MASBATE Mineral Profile”, Mines and Geosciences Bureau December
2018.

Philippine Geographic Information System., “Region V”., PhilGIS 2021

http://philgis.org/province-
page/masbate#:~:text=Rich%20minerals%20are%20found%20in,limestone%2C%20g
uano%2C%20and%20carbon.

VII. SORSOGON
AUTHORS: Domingo, Regine B.
Sabio, Denise Yuan C.

Sorsogon is one of the eighty-one provinces in the Philippines. It lies at

the southernmost tip of Luzon in the province of Bicol; with almost 800,000 people
residing in the province (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2015), it is subdivided into
fourteen municipalities (e.g., Barcelona, Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, etc.) and one
city: Sorsogon City, formerly known as the towns of Sorsogon and Bacon, is the
capital of the mentioned province (“Profile of Sorsogon City”, 2011).

The people of Sorsogon call themselves as Sorsogueños. Bicolano is the

predominant language in the province. It is a language widely known and used
in the Bicol Peninsula. However, in some municipalities of Sorsogon, Sorsoguenos
speak a dialect that has a similarity to the Waray-Waray’s tone, an Austronesian
language used in Eastern Visayas. Moreover, the people of Pilar and Donsol use
a dialect that is similar but not exactly alike to the dialect spoken by the nearby
towns of Camalig and Daraga called “Miraya Bicol” (“History of Sorsogon”, 2021).

In 1570, Captain Enrique de Guzman accompanied two Augustinian

Friars named Alonzo Jiménez and Juan Orta to Hibalong, a small fishing village
located near at the mouth of Ginangra River. They planted a cross and
established the first chapel in Luzon. It was from this village that Ibalong, referring
to the whole region, came to be. The Augustinian Friars continued travelling
inland with a northwesterly direction, they then passed by a territory that is now
known as Pilar before they reached Camalig, Albay. The ample evidence of this
was the establishment of the Abucay-Catamlangan Mission (“History of
Sorsogon”, 2021).

36
 Gibalon (now sitio of Magallanes), Casiguran, Bulusan, Pilar, Donsol,
Bacon, Gubat, and Sorsogon were one of the early towns that were established.
Eventually, the province was separated from Albay in 1894 and adopted the
name Sorsogon. Furthermore, the town of Sorsogon was chosen to be the capital
of the province. Later in year 2000, the two towns, Bacon and Sorsogon merged.
Thus, Sorsogon City was born (“Local Government Academy”, 2021)

Sources:

history of Sorsogon.docx. (2021). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from Scribd website:

https://www.scribd.com/document/447238475/history-of-vSorsogon-docx
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACADEMY. (2021). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from Lga.gov.ph
website: https://v2v.lga.gov.ph/province/info/sorsogon
basic profile | SORSOGON CITY. (2011). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from
Sorsogoncity.gov.ph website: http://sorsogoncity.gov.ph/?page_i

VII.A. LOCATION MAP

Sorsogon covers a total area of 2,119.01 square kilometres (818.15 sq mi)

occupying the southeastern tip of the Bicol Peninsula in Luzon. The province is
bordered on the north by Albay, east by the Philippine Sea, south by the San
Bernardino Strait, and west and northwest by the Ticao and Burias Passes. The
Sorsogon Bay lies within the central portion of the province.

The province has an irregular topography. Except for landlocked Irosin, all
the towns lie along the coast. They are all connected by concrete and asphalt
roads. Mountains sprawl over the northeast, southeast and west portions. Mount
Bulusan, the tallest peak, rises 1,560 metres (5,120 ft) above sea level.

Except for its overland link with the province of Albay to the north, it is
surrounded by water. Sorsogon is the gateway of Luzon to the Visayas and
Mindanao through its Roll-on/Roll-off ferry terminal facilities located in the
municipalities of Matnog, Pilar and Bulan.

37
 Figure 1. Map Image
Photo Courtesy of Google Maps

Sources:
Wikipedia Contributors. (2021, January 29). Sorsogon. Retrieved February 6, 2021, from
Wikipedia website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorsogon
Sorsogon. (2013). Sorsogon. Retrieved February 6, 2021, from Sorsogon website:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sorsogon/@12.8426635,123.8913544,11225
8m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x33a0dedabf69b3eb:0x28d9fbb76a897db1!8m2!
3d12.7599859!4d123.9303991

38
VII.B. GEOLOGIC FEATURES

VII.B. a VOLCANO
Inactive volcanoes in Sorsogon:

Volcano Elevation (A SL) COORDINATES

m ft
Mount Batuan 12°50′N 123°57′E
Mount Binitacan 12°37′N 124°0′E
Mount Coloumotan 602 1,975 12°35′N 123°58′E
Mount Culangalan 360 1,180 12°42′N 123°56′E
Gate Mountains 559 1,834 12°36′N 124°02′E
Mount Homahan 464 12°46.5′N 123°58.5′E
Irosin Caldera 12°46′N 124°07′E
Mount Jormajan 738 2,421 12°46′N 124°00′E
Mount Juban 844 2,769 12°48′N 123°56′E

Active volcanoes in Sorsogon:

Volcano Elevation (A SL) COORDINATES

m ft
Mount Bulusan 1,565 5,134 12.7692° N, 124.0567° E

Figure 2. Mount Bulusan

39
Mount Bulusan is the only active volcano in Sorsogon. It is the southernmost
volcano on Luzon Island in the Republic of the Philippines. It is situated in the
province of Sorsogon in the Bicol region, 70 km (43 mi) southeast of Mayon
Volcano and approximately 600 km (370 mi) southeast of the Philippine capital of
Manila.

Bulusan is classified by volcanologists as a stratovolcano (or a composite cone)

and covers the northeast rim of Irosin caldera that was formed about 40,000 years
ago. It has a peak elevation of 1,565 m (5,135 ft) above sea level with a base
diameter of 15 km (9.3 mi). Located around the mountain are four craters and
four hot springs. Its hot springs are San Benon Springs, Mapaso Springs, San Vicente
Springs, Masacrot Springs.

Eruptions

Bulusan is generally known for its sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions. It

has erupted 15 times since 1885 and is considered as the 4th most active
volcano in the Philippines after Mayon, Taal, and Kanlaon.

Figure 3. Bulusan volcano phreatic eruption at 07:36am, 17 October 2016

Photo Courtesy of Edwin Puendever

40
Date Local time Time lasted Plume height Direction(s) of
character plume drift
March – June 2006
March 21 2006 22:58 Ash 1.5 km N, W, SW
April 29 2006 10:44 Ash 1.5 km WSW, NW
May 25 2006 21:17 ash W, SW
May 31 2006 16:17 Ash/steam 1.5 km W, WNW
June 7 2006 20:17 Ash/steam 2 km N, W, SW
June 10 2006 00:18 Ash/steam 1 km N, NE
June 13 2006 19:04 Ash/steam 1.5 km NW
June 18 2006 15:56 Ash/steam 1.5 km W
June 20 2006 20:13 Cloud
covered
summit
June 28 2006 02:06 Cloud
covered
summit
July 31 2007 9:37 20 minutes Ash/steam
November 5 2010 08:00 Ash/steam 600 m NW, SW
above the
crater
November 8-9 2010 Ash

February 21 2011 9:12 AM 19 minutes Ash 2 KM SW

July 13 2014 the seismic network detected thirteen volcanic earthquakes
May 1 2015 21:46 3.5 minutes Ash
June 16 2015 11:02 10 minutes Ash/Steam 1 km
1:20 am 1 minute Ash
June 19 2015 14:55 Ash 1.5 km
June 10 2016 11:35 am 5 minutes Ash
December 29 2016 14:40 16 minutes Ash 2 km
May 6 2019 two volcanic earthquakes were recorded during the past 24 hours
July 2020 Alert Level 0 to Alert Level 1 after an increase in seismic activity was
observed in the past days
SOURCES:

• Volcanoes of Luzon, Philippines: facts & information / VolcanoDiscovery. (2021). Retrieved February
6, 2021, from Volcanodiscovery.com website:
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/philippines/luzon.html
• Global Volcanism Program | Bulusan. (2017). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from Smithsonian Institution
| Global Volcanism Program website: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=273010

41
VII.B. b FAULT ZONES

There are no known active faults in the Province of Sorsogon. However,

there are faults near the vicinity of Irosin, a second-class municipality in the
Province. Northern Samar Lineament is one of the faults near the said town. It is
located fifty-five kilometers in Samar Island. In addition to this, there is an unnamed
fault traversing the Bicol Region that ends in Sorsogon Bay (“Risk Area - Irosin”,
2011). Ed Laguerta (2015), a senior volcanologist, said that the unnamed
Faultline found in the province is ripe for movement, after half a century of
inactivity. Hence, PHIVOLCS, asked Sorsogon’s officials to prepare for the
possibility of an intensity 8 earthquake.

Figure 4. Fault line Map / Hazard Map

Photo Courtesy of Eagle News

Source:

Intensity 8 earthquake may hit Sorsogon. (2015, June 5). Retrieved February 6, 2021,
from Eagle News website: https://www.eaglenews.ph/intensity-8-earthquake-
may-hit-sorsogon/
Risk Areas - Irosin. (2011). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from Irosin.gov.ph website:
https://irosin.gov.ph/government/profile/municipal-profile/physical-environment-
and-existing-land-use/risk-
areas?print=print#:~:text=The%20nearest%20fault%20is%20an,west%20at%20the%2
0Philippine%20Sea

42
VII.C. RECORDED EVENTS

VII.C. a EARTHQUAKES/ LIQUEFACTION

• Movement of the unnamed Faultline (July 2, 1954)

Based on PHIVOLCS’ records, an unnamed fault line in Sorsogon

moved in the morning of July 2, 1954 with an intensity 7 earthquake. The
Commission on Volcanology (COMVOL) presented a report—still in
accordance to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS)—implying that the earthquake was intense enough to be felt
as far as the island of Iloilo down south and Camarines Norte up north.
Arturo Alcaraz (1954), COMVOL chief, concluded, “the earthquake was felt
over a large area and that earthquakes of volcanic origin are perceptible
only in the vicinity of active volcanoes like Mayon in Albay and Bulusan in
Sorsogon.” (Bicol Standard Newspaper, 2015).

Furthermore, Alcaraz added in the same report that the

earthquake was triggered by the sudden dislocation of Earth’s crust along
the plane of fracture that approximates the line joining the towns of Bacon
and Sorsogon (Bicol Standard Newspaper, 2015). This was supported by the
data collected by PHIVOLCS where it was showed that the epicenter of
that earthquake was somewhere in the city of Sorsogon. It was located 380
kilometers southeast of Manila and in the immediate vicinity of the towns of
Sorsogon and Bacon, known as the provincial capital, Sorsogon City.

This earthquake is by far the strongest earthquake strikes off Bicol

Region. Fortunately, there were no tall buildings during that time. Hence,
the damages to life and properties were lessened. Nev ertheless, the
frightening natural disaster claimed 13 persons—12 in Sorsogon and one
construction worker who was thrown by the quake from a building he was
working on. Moreover, it injured over 100 persons in Sorsogon while various
public structures like Spanish-era bridge, crumbled to ruins while church
belfries in the area collapsed.

The still-unnamed fault line underneath Sorsogon is still a concern

to PHILVOCS. According to the agency, it might once more move to trigger
an earthquake of similar or even stronger intensity. Hence, Ed Laguerta
(2015), a senior volcanologist in PHIVOLCS asked the local authorities to
prepare and conduct a disaster risk reduction and management councils
in Bicol provinces, cities, towns and barangays, specifically in Albay and
Sorsogon
43
 Figure 5. Sorsogon 1954 News Clipping
Photo Courtesy of Sorsogon’s Facebook Page

• Most recent Earthquake in Sorsogon (December 7, 2020)

Recently, a Magnitude 5.4 earthquake strikes Sorsogon Province.

It was traced thirty-seven kilometers north of Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon with a
depth of seventy-seven kilometers. An issue arises when Philippine Institute
of Volcanology and Seismology or PHIVOLCS made a revision regarding
the strength of the earthquake. Paul Alanis (2020), PHILVOLCS Chief in Bicol,
said that 6.4 magnitude was the first computation produced by their
instruments. However, after receiving more data by their monitoring system
it was confirmed that it was only magnitude 5.4. According to Alanis,
PHIVOLCS did not changed it because it was wrong, the agents’ changed
it because they had more data that is needed for the analysis. Fortunately,
there were no reported casualty or damaged properties (CNN Philippines’
Staff, 2020).

Sources:

• Facebook. (2021). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from Facebook.com website:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150094157071510.278428.155179071509
&type=1
• Bicol Standard Newspaper. (2015). Legazpi readies earthquake contingency measures.
Retrieved February 6, 2021, from BICOL STANDARD | Bicol News | Bicol Newspaper
website: http://www.bicolstandard.com/2015/06/legazpi-city-earthquake-
contingency.html
• Magnitude 5.4 quake jolts Sorsogon. (2020). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from cnn website:
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/12/7/Magnitude-6.4-quake-jolts-Sorsogon.html

44
VII.C. b LANDSLIDES

Heavy rainfall has caused landslides and flooding in Sorsogon, resulting in

roads being rendered impassable in several areas. In every typhoon expect
that there will always be a landslide.

The recent landslide occurred on

January 9, 2021 blocked a road
network in Sitio Tiris, Barangay Osiao,
Bacon District, Sorsogon City, making
it also impassable to all types of
vehicles.

Figure 6. Heavy rains triggered floods

and landslides in Catanduanes and
Sorsogon on January 9, 2021.

One of the major landslides that

occurred in Sorsogon. At least 8
people have died and a number
are missing after torrential rain
triggered landslides and flash
flooding.

Figure 7. A resident looking over at

her damaged home in the landslide-
hit community in Bulan, Sorsogon
province, the Philippines, on Dec 29,
2018.
Source:

• Mar Serrano. (2021, January 9). Heavy rains cause floods, landslides in Sorsogon,
Catanduanes. Retrieved February 6, 2021, from @pnagovph website:
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126866

45
VII.C. c TYHPOON

• Bagyong Tisoy (December 2, 2019)

December 2019, Typhoon Kammuri or locally known as Bagyong

Tisoy batters Sorsogon. Based on PAGASA's records, Tisoy gradually
intensified before making it first landfall in Gubat, Sorsogon. According to
the agency, Tisoy's eyewall brought violent winds and intense to torrential
rain over Sorsogon and other five province near the area; The province of
Sorsogon was then put under tropical cyclone wind signal number 3
(Arceo, 2019).

Tisoy is the 20th typhoon in the Philippines during that year.

Hence, the country is at its most vulnerable to typhoons. especially strong
typhoons like Tisoy. Although, Kammuri (Tisoy) is not a super typhoon, its
aftermath was heavily felt not only by Sorsogueños but by the majority of
CALABARZON ang Bicol (Region 5). Based on the initial reports from the
Department of Agriculture, ₱531.61 million worth of crops were damaged
in Calabarzon and Bicol while the death toll went to 13, including 2 (CNN
Philippines’ Staff, 2019).

Figure 8. Aftermath of Bagyong Tisoy

Photo Courtesy of Basilio S

Sources:

• “Tisoy” death toll climbs to 13. (2019). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from cnn w ebsite:
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/12/4/tisoy-fatalities-
.html?fbclid=IwAR2KweWpvhlJb0YqjuWSWCyIEP -
cs7l7GlH8WmvVgTDup4VjOpt4ObJ2WZI#:~:text=As%20of%208%20a.m.%20Wednesday,of%20death
%20not%20immediately%20available.
• Acor Arceo. (2019, December 2). Typhoon Tisoy makes landfall in Sorsogon. Retrieved February 6,
2021, from Rappler website: https://www.rappler.com/nation/weather/typhoon-tisoy-pagasa-
forecast-december-2-2019-11pm

46
VII.C. d TSUNAMI

There was no existing record from the local government regarding

Tsunami washing off the province of Sorsogon but that does not imply that the
province is excluded from hazard. In 2007, the LGU in accordance with the
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and Department
of Science and Technology (DOST), released a hazard map for the province of
Sorsogon.

Source:

• Hazards map | SORSOGON CITY. (2013). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from

Sorsogoncity.gov.ph website: http://sorsogoncity.gov.ph/?map=hazards-map

47
VII.D. MINERALS
MINERAL RESOURCES IN SORSOGON

MUNICIPALITY/ MINERAL ESTIMATED GRADE ANALYSIS

BARANGAY COMMODITY RESERVES
1. BACON
Gatbo Limestone 9,600,000 55% CaO, 0.42% MgO,
0.44% Al2O3, 0.39% SiO2
Bato-Gatbo Marble 25,000,000 cu.m.
geologic reserve
3,750,000 cu.m.
mineable reserve
Dalipay & Osiao White Clay 1,050
Guano 42 1.92% P2O5, 0.06% N,
0.1% K2O
New Bato Phosphatic 59 1.38% P2O5, 0.06% N,
Rock 0.07% K2O

2. SANTA
MAGDALENA
Talaonga & Poblacion Titaniferrous 123,425
3. PILAR
Abucay Rock 753 30.82% P2O5, 0.66% N,
Phosphate 1.50% K2O
Guano 458 10% P2O5, 0.11% N,
0.25% K2O
Rock 97 23.35% P205, 0.16% N,
San Jose Phosphate 1.12%K2O

Guano 49 10.29% P2O5, 0.13% N,

0.19% K2O
Lungib Rock 379 14.75% P205, 0.35% N,
Phosphate 1.12%K2O

Calpi Guano 50 13.24% P205, 0.19% N,

0.10%K2O
Iron, Titanium 69,250 0.191-46.1% Fe by weight
Pilar Beach Magnetite 217,000,000
Beach Sand

Iron, Titanium 17,000 40.56%Fe; 61.00% TiO2

4. MAGALLANES Pumice 17,310,416
Pumicite 1,288,644
5. IROSIN

48
 Red Clay 56,250 53.45% SiO2; 22.40% Al2O3,
Gabao 9.80% Fe2O3, 0.54% Cao,
1.0% MgO,
6. CASIGURAN
Boton Red Clay 5,000,000 54.63% SiO2; 26.15% Al2O3,
6.21% Fe2O3, 3.08% CaO,
2.22% MgO, 28-31 PCE
Colambis Pumicite 250,000 24.81% - 10 mesh 10-15%
non-pumiceous
7. PRIETO DIAZ Limestone 27,000,000
San Ramon Guano 43 0.64% P2O5; 0.15% N;
0.17% K2O
Manlabong Guano 73 2.45% P2O5; 0.29 N,
0.38% K2O
San Antonio Guano 17 1.79% P2O5, 0.7% N,
0.10% K2O
8. BULAN
Pumice/ 797,360 64.55-71.55% SiO2,
Calpi pumicite 18.96-22.93% Al2O3,
2.95% Fe2O3,
2.09% CaO, 0.75% MgO
Dolos Pumice/ 190, 140
pumicite
9. GUBAT
Red Clay 30,000 54.11% SiO2, 32.93% Al2O3,
Aparadijon 4.21% Fe2O3, 3.6%
CaO,1.96% MgO
Bagacay Guano 519 3.76% p2o5, 0.60%N,
0.26% K2O
10. JUBANG
Lahong Pumice & 540,000
Pumicite
11. SORSOGON
Rizal Sulphur 775 10.39-40.75% S

Source:

• Mineral Resources of Bicol Region. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2021, from region5
website: https://region5.mgb.gov.ph/mgbro5_files/MineralStats/MINERAL-
SOR.pdf

49
 VIII. APPENDIX

VIII.A. APPENDIX (ALBAY)

Table 1. Cities
City Code Income Class Population
(2015 Census)

CITY OF LEGAZPI (Capital) 050506000 2nd 196,639

CITY OF LIGAO 050508000 4th 111,399

CITY OF TABACO 050517000 4th 133,868

Table 2. Municipalities
Municipality Code Income Class Population
(2015 Census)
BACACAY 050501000 2nd 68,906
CAMALIG 050502000 1st 66,904
DARAGA (LOCSIN) 050503000 1st 126,595
GUINOBATAN 050504000 1st 82,361
JOVELLAR 050505000 4th 17,308
LIBON 050507000 1st 75,172
MALILIPOT 050509000 4th 37,785
MALINAO 050510000 3rd 45,301
MANITO 050511000 4th 24,707
OAS 050512000 1st 67,960
PIO DURAN 050513000 3rd 46,693
POLANGUI 050514000 1st 88,221
RAPU-RAPU 050515000 3rd 36,920
SANTO DOMINGO (LIBOG) 050516000 4th 34,967

TIWI 050518000 1st 53,120

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Table 3. Mineral Resources per municipality in Albay

51
Table 4. Mineral Resources per municipality in Albay (1)

52
Table 5. Mineral Resources per municipality in Albay (2)

53
VIII.B APPENDIX (MASBATE)

Figure 1a- Masbate (color red) located roughly at the center of Philippine archipelago

Figure 1b- The Philippine fault in Masbate Island.

54
Figure 1c- 6.5 earthquake magnitude damages, 2020.

Figure 1d- Sinkhole found in Barangay Casabangan.

55
VIII.C. APPENDIX (SORSOGON)

Figure 7. Tsunami Hazard Map for Province of Sorsogon

Photo Courtesy of PHIVOLCS AND DOST

PHIVOLCS AND DOST explanation:

This indicative map is based on maximum computed wave height and
inundation using worst case scenario earthquakes from major offshore source
zones. The indicated wave height decreases away from shoreline (“Hazards
Map”, 2013
56