“The Wonders of Bukidnon Plateau”

-GROUP 1 RESEARCH-

GROUP MEMBER:
BOADO, Vallerie Shayne
MAT-AN, Jhustine Lyne
PAJARILLO, Ricci Janssen
SANDICO, Khristen Arwen
SANTIAGO, Juan Miguel

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1

 “The Wonders of Bukidnon Plateau”

BUKIDNON

The province of Bukidnon is situated in the heart of Mindanao Island, in the Philippines' southernmost
region. It is a landlocked province with the City of Cagayan de Oro on the north, North Cotabato
and Davao City on the south, Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte on the east, and Lanao del Norte
and Lanao del Sur on the west. Bukidnon is also known as the "Food Basket" of the region because it
serves as the primary source of agricultural products and raw materials for the province's processing
factory. In Mindanao, Bukidnon is famous for its rolling grassland plateau with an average elevation
of 900 meters earning its name highland paradise. Being typhoon-free, Bukidnon's plateau is covered
with deep ravines, lush forest, grasslands, and rock formations which helps in protecting the Bukidnon
region from storms. Critically endangered species like the Philippine eagle and the largest flower,
rafflesia, also reside in the ranges of Bukidnon.

GEOMORPHOLOGY

The Philippine archipelago is situated within the circum-Pacific seismic band, which is
characterized by active plate tectonics and lithospheric collisions. The archipelago is wedged
between two converging plates:

A.) The oceanic northwest-moving Philippine Sea Plate in the east

B.) The Sunda Block/Eurasian Plate in the west

(This resulted in the formation of the Philippine Fault.)

Central Mindanao is an example of a young collision of two island arcs, which are devoid of
the old continental basement. The Central Mindanao Volcanic Field is characterized by numerous
Pliocene-Quaternary basaltic to andesitic strato-volcanoes and minor parasitic dacite cones.

The whole of Bukidnon is of volcanic origin, except for the southern part, which consists of
sedimentary materials and limited alluvial plains along the rivers

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1

 * This means that the rocks are under-
saturated melanocratic, with abundant
olivine, labradorite, slightly calcic-augite and
richer in Na2O and K2O than the tholeiitic
facies.

* In northern Bukidnon, the low grassy hills

east of Malaybalay, are mainly metamorphic
rocks with capping of limestone, which form
the low hills in the location.

MINERALOGICAL PROPERTIES

In a study of the soil in Intavas, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon, the primary minerals were found to be
predominantly opaque minerals. Hornblende and heavy minerals and weathered particles
composed of mica, quartz, and volcanic glass for light minerals were found here, while for clay soils,
gibbsite and halloysite were detected.

Clay forming minerals identified in the soil of a volcanic slope within the Manupali Watershed
of Bukidnon were halloysite, gibbsite, goethite, hematite, and cristobalite, and the presence of
allophanes and imogolites was also observed in all the studied pedons.

The presence of both goethite and hematite indicates a state of mineral evolution in an
ecological situation.

-MINERALS GALLERY-

OPAQUE HORNBLENDE MICA QUARTZ

VOLCANIC GLASS GIBBSITE HALLOYSITE GEOTHITE

HEMATITE CRISTOBALITE ALLOPHANES IMOGOLITE

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1

 SOIL MORPHOLOGY

The majority of the Bukidnon Plateau is underlain

by volcanic mudflows or lahars from Mt. Kitanglad and
Mt. Kalatungan, with other types of igneous materials
and a few local metamorphic rocks.

Soils with andic characteristics are formed by

the moderate weathering of mostly pyroclastic
elements. Some soils, such as loess, argillite, and
ferralitic weathering products, generate these qualities
from non-volcanic elements.

Although numerous parent rocks derive from volcanic elements, no soil in Bukidnon is classed
under the Andisol Soil Order or Andosol Soil Group. Furthermore, no "andic" qualities are mentioned in
the descriptions of these soils. Mineral weathering can alter the mineralogy and chemistry of soils
drastically.

In Bukidnon, pedological study has made little progress, therefore there is no information on
soils with "andic" features. In addition, some sections of the country, such as the volcanic mountains
of Mt. Kitanglad and Mt. Kalatungan, have unclassified soils.

Poudel et al. (1999) Described the soil in the morphological unit in the Manupali Watershed:

1. the surface horizons of all pedons were brown to dark brown, with a fine to medium granular
structure and a very friable to friable moist consistency.

2. Subsurface horizons were a brown to reddish color with a weak to moderate sub-angular blocky
structure. They were friable to very friable with slightly sticky and slightly plastic moist consistency.
Water retention was found to be high.

3. The profile of Intavas soil has very dark surface horizons that become lighter in lower horizons with
a fine loamy texture. Found that this soil had a consistency that was slightly sticky and plastic with a
bulk density ranging from 0.85 to 1.18 g·cm-3.

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1

 MAJOR RIVERS ORIGINATED FROM BUKIDNON:

• The Pulangi River originates from Kalabugao mountains (Impasug-ong) and traverses 18 Bukidnon
municipalities as it flows to the Cotabato provinces where it becomes the Rio Grande de
Mindanao, the country’s second largest river.

• The Tagoloan River has its source in Malaybalay and flows toward Macajalar Bay in Tagoloan of
Misamis Oriental province.

• The Cagayan River originates from Talakag and drains toward Macajalar Bay of Cagayan de Oro
City.

• The Maridugao River has its source in Talakag and flows towards the edges between the
boundary of Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur provinces.

• The Salug-Davao River emerges from San Fernando and drains towards Davao province.

• The Agusan-Cugman River originates from Kitanglad mountain ranges (west of Lantapan) and
flows towards Macajalar Bay of Cagayan de Oro City.

The remnant tropical rainforests of Bukidnon are found in the mountain ranges of Mt.
Kimangkil Range, Pantaron Range, Mt. Tangkulan Range, Mt. Tago Range, Mt. Kalatungan
Range Natural Park, and Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park. These mountain ranges are
home to various watersheds that are crucial to Mindanao's ecological and economic
balance. Apart from being the IPs' homelands, these areas are also home to critically
endangered, economically valuable, and endemic species (such as the Philippine Eagle,
the world's second largest bird) and flora (such as the Rafflesia, the world's largest flower)

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1

 The province is also blessed with beautiful and important mountain ranges: Mt. Kimangkil Range,
Pantaron Range, Mt. Tankulan Range, Mt. Tago Range, Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park and Mt.
Kitanglad Range Natural Park.

Mt. Kimangkil Range

- The whole Mt. Kimangkil Range, harbors a diverse mix of flora and fauna being ascribed to its
numerous rivers and waterfalls, a lake and small wetland area, cliffs, caves and rock formations that
provide habitats for wildlife. It has also been assessed and monitor by the Philippine Eagle Foundation
the presence of threatened Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi).

TOPOGRAPHY

- Three rivers and their distributaries drain the province. The Cagayan and Tagoloan Rivers, as
well as their tributaries, drain the northern section of the province from Mt. Kitanglad. The Manupali
River, which originates on Mt. Kalatungan, drains the eastern part. The Maladugao and Muleta Rivers
drain the province's south-eastern region and eventually discharge into the Pulangi River.

- Bukidnon is generally characterized as an extensive plateau but the southern and eastern
boundaries are mountainous area.

- Bukidnon is commonly seen to be a large plateau, yet its southern and eastern borders are
mountainous. The average elevation of the province is 915 meters above sea level. The slope
gradient peaks at 2,899 metres of Mount Kitanglad, an extinct volcano occupying the central
portion. Mt. Kalatungan and Mt. Tangkulan, which rise to 2,287 meters and 1,678 meters respectively,
are found in the southern part of the island. The Cagayan, Pulangi, and Tagoloan Rivers, as well as
their tributaries, are cut deep and wide gorges by gently undulating grassland plateaus that
encompass a large portion of the province. The Pantaron Mountain Range runs along the whole
eastern and southern boundary of the provinces of Agusan, Davao del Norte, and Cotabato, and is
covered by steep and thickly forested mountains.
-The Bukidnon plateau is mainly of volcanic zone consisting of pyroclastic, basaltic and andesitic
cones.
-At Mailag, 23 kilometers south of Malaybalay City, the plateau begins to descend and gradually
merges into the lowlands of Cotabato province

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1

 CLIMATE

- Climate affects the rate of rock weathering and soil formation

- Due to its elevation and mountainous physiography, the climate of Bukidnon is relatively cool
and moist throughout the year.

- The refreshing cool climate in the Bukidnon plateau is attributed to its fairly high altitude,
deep ravines and dense forest mountains which protect the province from storms.

- Bukidnon is also typhoon-free. It is outside the typhoon belt and has two distinct climate
types:

* The southwest monsoon and most fourth type or intermediate B, that is, no very apparent
maximum rain period and no dry seasons, are more influenced in the central and southern parts.
Throughout the rest of the year, rain is virtually daily.

*The northeast monsoon influences the climate in the northern part of the country, resulting
in a third type or intermediate A climate with a brief dry season of one to three months.

BUKIDNON’S LANDFORM AND BODIES OF WATER

PULANGI RIVER MT. CAPISTRANO MT. DULANG DULANG MUSUAN PEAK

RIO GRANDE MT. KITANGLAD KALABUGAO RIVER LAKE APO

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1

 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Land area: The province has a total land area of 10,498.59 square kilometers (4,053.53 square miles),
making it the biggest in Mindanao. Northern Mindanao makes up 59 percent of the country. Thirty-
eight percent (38%) are disposable and alienable. The remainder is classed as forestland.

The province is located between the parallels 7o 25′ and 8o 38′ north latitude and the meridians 124o
03′ and 125o 16′ east longitude, and it has an area of 829,378 hectares, accounting for 2.76 percent
of the country's total land area. The capital, Malaybalay, is roughly 850 kilometers from Manila by air
and 91 kilometers from Cagayan de Oro City by road.

Bukidnon is also labelled as the highland paradise in the heart of Mindanao. While it derived its name
from the Visayan term “bukid” for “mountain”, it is predominantly a rolling grassland plateau with an
average elevation of 915 meters.

Bukidnon is typhoon-free. The province’s terrain is characterized by deep ravines and dense forest
mountains which protect the province from storms.

Conclusion: Our conclusion about weathering in Bukidnon Plateau. Since Bukidnon has 3 zones to it
and each with their different weather type. For example, the south-central and the north-western
parts of the province, is dry which can cause rocks to heat up and when there is rain it can cause the
rocks to suddenly being breakable due to the weather. And I think is important because weathering
causes the disintegration of rock near the surface of the earth. Plant and animal life, atmosphere and
water are the major causes of weathering. Weathering breaks down and loosens the surface
minerals of rock so they can be transported away by agents of erosion such as water, wind and ice.
Weathering provides the sediments that form sedimentary rocks, and some forms of chemical
weathering help to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Much more important, however, is
that weathering creates nutrient-rich soil that allows plants and trees to grow, and ultimately makes
life on Earth possible.

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1

 References:

* https://bukidnon.gov.ph/2012/11/09/physical-feature-and-composition/

* https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Geological-map-of-Bukidnon-the-Philippines-Carte-
geologique-de-la-Province-du_fig2_288661188

* https://www.mindanews.com/mindaviews/2020/06/integral-ecology-the-ecological-services-of-
bukidnon-rivers-for-mindanao-1/

* https://popups.uliege.be/1780-4507/index.php?id=11691&lang=en

(Guadalupe M. DEJARME-CALALANG & Gilles COLINET, «A review of soils and crops in the Bukidnon
Highlands of Northern Mindanao, the Philippines», BASE [En ligne], Volume 18 (2014), numéro 4, 544-
557 URL : https://popups.uliege.be/1780-4507/index.php?id=11691.)

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukidnon

* https://infogalactic.com/info/Bukidnon

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Landforms_of_Bukidnon

THE WONDERS OF BUKIDNON PLATEAU GROUP 1