General Geology

Geologic Setting

Based on the tectonic evolution of Southeast Asia of Robert Hall (2002), the
formation of Dinagat Island and some other portions of Mindanao is estimated last
40mya (Eocene). More than half of the island is composed of ultramafic and mafic rocks
collectively known as the Dinagat Ophiolite hosting the chromite and nickel
mineralization of the province. This formation is overthrusting the metamorphic sole
called the Nueva Estrella Schist. The ophiolite complex is also overlained by the
postophiolite sedimentary formation called the Loreto Formation (Peña, Lexicon of the
Philippine Stratigraphy 2008).
The Dinagat Islands is located in between the Philippine Fault on the west and
the Philippine Trench on the east. According to the geologic map of A.B. Santiago,
K.Louca and A. Dela Cruz in 1993 (revised) – United Nations Revolving Fund for
Natural Resources Exploration (UNRFNRE) Project, major faults in Dinagat Island is
observed to be uniformly NW trending having complimentary NE trending faults. Some
of these NE trending structures are lineaments and shear zones. Furthermore, these
faults are very significant especially in hosting mineralization.
Stratigraphy
The Province of Dinagat Islands is underlain by at least five (5) distinct rock
formations based on Lexicon of the Philippines (2008):
 Nueva Estrella Schist

The Nueva Estrella Schist constitutes the metamorphic sole of Dinagat Ophiolite
and basement formation in Dinagat Islands. It consists mainly of amphibolite
schist, garnet-amphibolite and biotite-quartz schist and to a lesser extent quarzo-
feldspathic schist. Its present structural disposition is in the form of an irregular
tectonic window within the ophiolite. The window stretches from Melgar Bay
through San Jose and Cagdianao to Nonoc and Awasan Islands.

 Dinagat Ophiolite Complex

Overthrusting the Nueva Estrella Schist is an assemblage of ultramafic and mafic

rocks collectively known as the Dinagat Ophiolite. The Dinagat Islands are mostly
composed of the Dinagat Ophiolite Complex (DOC). The ophiolite has a
radiometric KAr age of 84 Ma corresponding to Late Cretaceous period of
Santonian age (Sunga and Palaganas, 1986; MMAJ-JICA, 1990). From bottom to
top, the ophiolite consists of a residual peridotite, cumulate peridotite, massive and
layered gabbro, sheeted dike complex and pillow basalts. The residual peridotite
 unit is composed of harzburgite with minor dunite and chromite lenses. The
cumulate peridotite is made up of thin alternating layers of orthopyroxenite,
harzburgite and dunite. Intense serpentinization characterizes the ultramafic rocks
particularly near the thrust zone. The gabbro sequence consists of massive gabbro
and layered gabbro. However, evidences of the cumulate/ layered gabbro is not
found in the sequence, which makes it incomplete. The sheeted dike/sill complex
is overlain by pillow basalt and basalt breccias.

 Timamana Limestone

Among the Dinagat Group of Islands, the Timamana occurs as a series of wide
but discontinuous outcrops along the western coast of Dinagat Island where it
forms prominent cliffs and escarpments. It occupies the Tubajon Peninsula in the
north, and in the south extends almost uninterruptedly from Pelotes Point
(Osmeña) to Kambagio Point in Melgar Bay where it forms small islands and
mushroom-like islets. The maximum exposed thickness inferred from contours of
the limestone scarps is 200 m. Aerial photographs reveal a typical karstic surface
with interstitial drainage. The limestone is usually tough, compact, and hard semi-
crystalline rock with a splintery sub-conchoidal or granular fracture, and is
generally creamy white in colour. In places, it may be pinkish, less compact and
oolitic. It is frequently composed of masses of broken corals, shells and casts of
small gastropods. Conspicuous bedding is present, particularly towards its base
where it becomes increasingly sandy and marly. Wellbedded calcarenite,
calcisiltite, and gritty sandstone characterize the base of the
limestone. The tentative age of this unit is Mid-Miocene which is correlative to the
Timamana limestone of Surigao mainland.

 Loreto Formation
The Loreto Formation, formerly designated as Loreto Clastics (Wright and others,
1958), forms intermittent outcrops along or near the contact between the
underlying Dinagat Ophiolite and overlying reef limestone on the western coast of
Dinagat Island. These are usually less than 100 m thick. The base consists of
polymictic conglomerate overlain by a succession of sandstones, shales and
mudstones with subordinate amount of tuff. The conglomerate contains clasts of
basalt, diabase, gabbro, peridotites and crystalline schists in varying proportions
at a scale of a few kilometers. The beds generally strike northwest to northeast
and dip 20°-35° to the west. Paleontologic studies of samples from the formation
indicated a probable Late Miocene age.

 Alluvium
These recent alluvial deposit are loose detrital sediments as a result of weathering
of the pre-existing rocks.