Zambales Mountains

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Zambales Mountains
Western Cordillera
SanNarciso,Zambalesjf0676 13.JPG
Zambales Mountain Range view from San Narciso, Zambales
Highest point
PeakMount Tapulao (aka High Peak),Zambales
Elevation 2,037 m (6,683 ft)
Coordinates 15°28′51″N120°7′16″E / 15.48083°N 120.12111°E / 15.48083; 120.12111
Dimensions
Length180 km (110 mi)N-S
Geography
Zambales Mountains topographic map en.svg
Zambales Mountains topographic map
CountryPhilippines
ProvincesZambales, Pangasinan, Bataan, Tarlac and Pampanga
Region Central Luzon & Ilocos Region
Range coordinates 15°41′N120°05′E / 15.683°N 120.083°E / 15.683; 120.083

The Zambales Mountains is a mountain range on western Luzon island in the Philippines. The mountains spread along a north-south axis, separating Luzon's central plain from the South China Sea. The range extends into five provinces: Zambales, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, and Bataan. One of its most prominent sections is known as the Cabusilan Mountain Range composed of Mount Pinatubo, Mount Negron and Mount Cuadrado, which are believed to be remnants of the ancestral Pinatubo peak. The highest elevation in the Zambales Mountains is Mount Tapulao, also known as High Peak, in Zambales province which rises to 2,037 metres (6,683 ft).

Contents

Extent

The Zambales Mountains has an area of 300 square kilometres (120 sq mi) [1] extending North to South from the mountains of western Pangasinan province, the whole length of Zambales, to tip of the Bataan Peninsula in the south enclosing Manila Bay. [2] The mountain range also encompasses the mountains in the municipalities of Bamban, Capas, San Jose, San Clemente, Mayantoc, Santa Ignacia, Camiling in the province of Tarlac. In Pampanga, it includes the mountains in Floridablanca, Porac, Lubao, Angeles City and Mabalacat.

Geology

The Zambales Mountains include Jurassic to Miocene ophiolite massifs, overlain by more recent sedimentary formation, including the Cagaluan Formation and the Santa Cruz Formation. [3]

Volcanoes

Although the mountains are volcanic in origin, [2] Mount Pinatubo is the only active volcano in the mountain range. Its eruption on June 15, 1991 was the second most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. The volcanic eruption, which was complicated by the arrival of Typhoon Yunya, covered the region with thick volcanic ash and lahar including the U.S. military base at Clark Field near Angeles City.

Other volcanoes in Zambales Mountains are Mount Mariveles, Mount Natib and Mount Samat.

Protected areas

Peaks

Zambales Mountains list of highest peaks by elevation

River system

List of rivers in Zambales Mountains by length.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Bataan, officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula on Luzon, Bataan is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces the South China Sea to the west and Subic Bay to the north-west, and encloses Manila Bay to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambales</span> Province in Central Luzon, Philippines

Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Iba, which is located in the middle of the province. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north and northeast, Tarlac to the east, Pampanga to the southeast, Bataan to the south and the South China Sea to the west. With a total land area of 3,830.83 square kilometres (1,479.09 sq mi), Zambales is the second largest among the seven provinces of Central Luzon after Nueva Ecija. The province is noted for its mangoes, which are abundant from January to April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarlac</span> Province in Central Luzon, Philippines

Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Tarlac. It is bounded on the north by the province of Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija on the east, Zambales on the west and Pampanga in the south. The province comprises three congressional districts and is subdivided into 17 municipalities and one city, Tarlac City, which is the provincial capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lahar</span> Violent type of mudflow or debris flow from a volcano

A lahar is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pinatubo</span> Active stratovolcano in the Philippines

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Its eruptive history was unknown to most before the pre-eruption volcanic activity of early 1991. Pinatubo was heavily eroded and obscured from view by dense forests which supported a population of several thousand indigenous Aetas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camiling</span> Municipality in Tarlac, Philippines

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Arayat</span> Volcano in the Philippines

Mount Arayat is a potentially active stratovolcano sleeping in the province of Pampanga on the island of Luzon, Philippines, rising to a height of 1,033 metres (3,389 ft). The volcano has a breached crater on its northwest side with a smaller andesitic dome in the collapse amphitheater. There are historical records of eruption in Arayat and the only dated rocks are 530- and 650-thousand-year-old basalts predating the collapse and formation of the lava dome. However, weak steaming is currently present in some of the heavily eroded vents on the North Western side of the summit. Additionally an analysis report indicates that the volcano erupted over the last 2,000 years, but it is believed to refer to the volcanic activity of the volcano. The Mount Arayat National Park was established in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capas</span> Municipality in Tarlac, Philippines

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The Agno River, also known as the Pangasinan River, is a river on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Traversing the provinces of Benguet, Pangasinan, and Tarlac, it is one of the largest river systems in the country, with a drainage area of 5,952 square kilometres (2,298 sq mi).

The Sambalic languages are a part of the Central Luzon language family spoken by the Sambals, an ethnolinguistic group on the western coastal areas of Central Luzon and the Zambales mountain ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Natib</span> Dormant startovolcano in Bataan, Philippines

Mount Natib is a dormant stratovolcano and caldera complex in the province of Bataan on western Luzon Island of the Philippines. The volcano complex occupies the northern portion of the Bataan Peninsula. The mountain and adjacent surrounding is a protected area first declared as the Bataan National Park in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Mariveles</span> Stratovolcano in the province of Bataan,Philippines

Mount Mariveles is a dormant stratovolcano and the highest point in the province of Bataan in the Philippines. Mariveles and the adjacent Mount Natib comprise 80.9 percent of the total land area of the province. The mountain and adjacent cones lie opposite the city of Manila across Manila Bay, providing a beautiful setting for the sunsets seen from the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Pinatubo</span> Philippines volcanic lake

Lake Pinatubo is the summit crater lake of Mount Pinatubo formed after its climactic eruption on June 15, 1991. The lake is located in Botolan, Zambales, near the boundaries of Pampanga and Tarlac provinces in the Philippines. It is about 90 km (56 mi) northwest of the capital city of Manila. While one paper by researchers from Japan suggested a depth of 600 m (2,000 ft), more detailed research suggests that 95–115 m (312–377 ft) is more accurate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo</span> Volcanic eruption in the Philippines

The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines' Luzon Volcanic Arc was the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, behind only the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. Eruptive activity began on April 2 as a series of phreatic explosions from a fissure that opened on the north side of Mount Pinatubo. Seismographs were set up and began monitoring the volcano for earthquakes. In late May, the number of seismic events under the volcano fluctuated from day-to-day. Beginning June 6, a swarm of progressively shallower earthquakes accompanied by inflationary tilt on the upper east flank of the mountain, culminated in the extrusion of a small lava dome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Tapulao</span> Tallest mountain in Zambales, Philippines

Mount Tapulao is the highest mountain in the Zambales Mountain Range and in the province of Zambales in the Philippines. The peak, which rise to an elevation of 2,037 metres (6,683 ft) above sea level, and it is located in the municipality of Palauig, Zambales. Its name is derived from the abundance of Sumatran Pine trees in the area, known in Zambal as tapolaw.

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Romulo Highway, also known as Carlos P. Romulo Highway, is a 77.2-kilometer (48.0 mi) major highway in the Philippines that connects the provinces of Tarlac and Pangasinan. It is alternatively known as Tarlac–Pangasinan Road from Tarlac City to Bugallon, Pangasinan and as a component of Pangasinan–Zambales Road and Bugallon–Lingayen Road from Bugallon to Lingayen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Samat</span> Mountain in the Philippines

Mount Samat is a mountain in the town of Pilar, Bataan, Philippines. Located near its summit is the Mount Samat National Shrine, a national shrine dedicated to the fallen Filipino and American fallen during World War II.

Mount Negron, also known as Negron Volcano, is a mountain located in Porac, Pampanga in the region of Central Luzon. It has a height of 1,583 m (5,194 ft) above sea level, making it the highest point in the province of Pampanga. It is located between Mount Pinatubo and Mount Natib. Mount Negron is the part of the Cabusilan Mountains together with Mount Pinatubo, Mount Cuadrado and Mount Mataba.

Mount Iba is the second-tallest mountain in the Zambales Mountains and the highest point in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. It is located in municipality of San Jose, Tarlac. Water from the mountain drains to the Agno River. With an elevation of 1,605 metres (5,266 ft), between Mount Tapulao (2,037m) and Mount Negron (1,583m).

References

  1. "Zambales Mountains". New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Smith, Warren D. (1913). "Journal of Geology, Vol. 21 – The Geology of Luzon, P.I.", pp. 39–40. University of Chicago, Department of Geology.
  3. Dimalanta, C. B.; Salapare, R. C.; Faustino-Eslava, D. V.; Ramos, N. T.; Queaño, K. L.; Yumul, G. P.; Yang, T. F. (2015). "Post-emplacement history of the Zambales Ophiolite Complex: Insights from petrography, geochronology and geochemistry of Neogene clastic rocks". Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. 104: 215–227. Bibcode:2015JAESc.104..215D. doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2014.07.021.