Lesson 3: Mountain Belts in the Philippines

• In Filipino culture, the formation of mountains is often associated with myths and legens.
• Based on stories, mountains are protected with enchanted creatures. It is sometimes the reason why some parts of the vast mountains were remained almost untouched.
• It is a fact that mountains provide a lot of benefits of people. It is the source of food, clean water, and shelter for most of us. It serves as protection and barrier during typhoons.
• Mountains can be found all over the archipelago because of the presence of faults.
• Mountains are usually formed by different geological processes like the movement of tectonic plates. These landforms are present all over the Philippine archipelago.
• Groups of these mountain ranges that are similar in form, structure, and alignment are referred to as mountain belts.
• The country is comprised mostly of mountainous regions with narrow to extensive coastal lands. The highest point is Mt. Apo at 2, 954 m above sea level.
• The mountain belts in the country have tropical vegetation but no alpine peaks such as those found in Indonesia and Malaysia since the highest mountain in the country, Mt. Apo, does not reach the required elevation to acquire alpine conditions.
• The most prominent range in the country is the Central Cordillera, the central mountain chain of Luzon which cuts across the north to the Luzon Strait from the northern boundary of the central plain.
• The Central Cordillera is an orogen.
• An orogen is a belt of Earth's crust involved in mountain formation caused by the compression of ancient sedimentary and igneous terranes.
• Cordillera encompasses the provinces of Cordillera Administrative Region including portions of Illocos Norte, Illocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, and Cagayan.
• Cordillera

  • It is considered as one of the highest mountain ranges in the country.
  • The highest peak is Mt. Pulag which reaches an elevation of 2,922 meters.
  • It is also considered as the highest mountain in Luzon and the third highest in the whole archipelago.
• The Sierra Madre Mountain Range is the longest mountain range in the country. It is one of the oldest orogens in the archipelago. It runs in the north-south direction from the provinces of Cagayan to the north and Quezon to the south.
• Sierra Madre Mountain Range

  • It covers the areas of Aurora, Bulacan, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quezon, Quirino, and Rizal Province.
• Sierra Madre Mountain Range

  • The range's highest point is still unclear since several peaks are considered as the highest.
  • For example, Mounth Anacuao in Aurora has a height of 1,850 meters while Mount Cetaceo in Cagayan has the same altitude as well.
  • In April 2012, Mount Guiwan in Nueva Vizcaya had a preliminary mesurement of 1,915 meters on the summit.
• The Caraballo Mountains connect Sierra Madre Mountain with the Central Cordillera. The mountain range is located in the province of Nueva Vizcaya. It serves as the location of the headwaters of Vagayan River which is the longest river in the country.

  • This mountain range reaches an altitude of 1,680 meters.
• The Zambales Mountains lies on the western island of Luzon. It is an ophiolite, an abducted slice of oceanic crust emplaced during subduction.
• An ophiolite is an abducted slice of oceanic crust emplaced during subduction.
• Zambales Mountains

  • It separates Luzon's central plain from the South China Sea.
  • It extends from western Pangasinan province, the whole length of Zambales, to the tip of the Bataan Peninsula in the south.
  • Its most noticeable feature is the Cabusilan Mountain Range comprised of Mt. Pinatubo, Mount Negron, and Mount Cuadrado.
• Zambales Mountain

  • These mountains are believed to be volcanic in origin, but the only active volcano in the mountain range is Mt. Pinatubo. Its highest peak Mt. Tapulao with a height of 2,037 meters.
• The longest mountain range Panay Island is the Central Panay Mountain Range, also known as the Antique Range. It cuts across the center of Panay Island. Its highest point is Mount Madjaas with an elevation of about 2,100 meters above sea level.
• In the central portion of the province of Bukidnon lies Kalatungan Mountain Range. This mountain range is situated in Northern Mindanao. its highest peak is Mount Kalatungan which reaches a height of 2, 824 meters. This mountain range is also where the major river systems in Bukidnon originate.
• Neighboring the Kalatungan Mountain Range is the Kitanglad Mountain Range. It is located in the northern central part of Bukidnon province. Its highest peak is Mount Dulang-dulang at an altitude of 2, 941 meters.

  • It is also where the headwater catchment areas of several major river systems in the north and central Mindanao are located.
• Along with Kitanglad, these rivers are considered as protected areas by the Philippine government.
• Pantaron Mountain Range is considered as the Central Cordillera of Mindanao. It is also an orogen. It passes through the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, and Davao del Sur.
• Headwaters of Mindanao River, Pulangi River, and Davao River originate from Pantaron Mountain Range.