Mount Isarog

Sabarakara

Mt. Isarog viewed from Pili, Camarines Sur

Highest point
Elevation 2,011.6 m (6,600 ft)[1][2]

Prominence 1,951 m (6,401 ft)[1]

Parent peak Mayon
Listing Active volcano
Ultra
Coordinates 13°39′33″N 123°22′24″E (htt
ps://geohack.toolforge.or
g/geohack.php?pagename=
Mount_Isarog&params=13_
39_33_N_123_22_24_E_ty
 pe:mountain_region:PH_scal
e:100000) [1][3]
Geography

Mount Isarog

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Country Philippines
Region Bicol Region
Province Camarines Sur
City/municipality Calabanga · Goa · Naga City
· Ocampo · Pili · Tigaon
 Geology
Mountain type Stratovolcano
Volcanic arc/belt Bicol Volcanic Chain
Last eruption 2,374 BCE ± 87 years [4]
3,500 BCE ± 125 years
(5,500 ya ± 125 years)[5]
Climbing
Easiest route Concosep, Tigaon,
Camarines Sur Route

Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap

The broad isthmus between Lagonoy Gulf and San

Miguel Bay is occupied by the isolated Mount Isarog
volcano.
The volcano has a 2,500 m (8202 ft) crater that is
breached to the east along a narrow valley drained by
the Cabongaan water stream. A major debris
avalanche deposit extends northwest to the coast
and into San Miguel Bay.[10]

The peak of the mountain marks the point where the

borders of six municipalities and one city meet (listed
in clockwise direction, starting north): Goa, Tigaon,
Ocampo, Pili, Naga City, Tinambac and Calabanga.

Mount Isarog was where local troops of the Philippine

Army and Constabulary units and Bicolano guerrillas hid
during the Japanese Occupation. In the 1970s, with the
leadership of Romulo Jallores and his brother, they
established the New People's Army in the Bicol region
at the foot of this mountain.[9]

History

Indigenous history

Mount Isarog has been the ancestral territory of the

indigenous Isarog Agta people for thousands of years
prior to the arrival of the Spanish. They were among
the first inhabitants in the entire Philippines and are of
Negrito origin. They are a group of Aeta people with a
distinct language and heritage unique from others.

Legal history
It was made a public land through the Proclamation No.
157 on March 28, 2015. Towns around it is classified as
timberland forest with an area of 13,433 hectares
(33,190 acres).

On August 17, 1935, General Frank Murphy established

the Mt. Isarog Forest Reserve which reduced the size
of the area to 10,112. But it was revoked by President
Manuel L. Quezon when he signed Proclamation No.
293 titled "Establishment of Mt. Isarog as a National
Park."[11]

The Earth Summit of 1992 prompted the creation of

the National Integrated Protected Area Programme. A
five-year (1995-2001)[12][13] intervention plan was
enacted.[14] On June 20, 2002, by virtue of
Proclamation No. 214, Mt. Isarog became a protected
area under the natural park.[15]

Eruption history

Pyroclastic flows originating from lava dome collapses

have occurred during the Holocene, one of which has a
calibrated radiocarbon date of about 3,500 BCE. In
2020, a group of geologists from Partido State
University discovered that Isarog also erupted around
4,300 years ago after a charcoal overlain by thick
block-and-ash flow deposits was found.[16][17] The
charcoal was sent to the United States for
radiocarbon dating. This new information about the
eruptive history of Isarog was presented at the 2020
Virtual GeoCon, a convention of geologists organized
by the Geological Society of the Philippines (https://g
eolsocphil.com/) . Currently, Isarog vent displays gas
seepages, warm springs, and steaming vents.[18]

Seismic history

On 8 November 1915, frequent earthquakes were felt

on and around Isarog volcano, with some occasional
noises. Landslides occurred on the slopes of Isarog
volcano. The seismic swarm repeated itself 2 or 3
times at long intervals until 10 January 1916. The
volcano was thickly wooded, even inside of the crater,
and nobody observed any fumaroles.[8][7]

Ethnic groups
Isarog Agta Tribe

The Isarog Agta people live within the circumference

of Mount Isarog, though only 5 of them still know their
indigenous language. They are one of the original
Negrito settlers in the entire Philippines. They belong
to the Aeta people classification, but have distinct
language and belief systems unique to their own
culture and heritage.

In 2010, UNESCO released its 3rd world volume of

Endangered Languages in the World, where 3 critically
endangered languages were in the Philippines. One of
these languages in the Isarog Agta language which has
an estimated speaker of 5 people in the year 2000.
The language was classified as Critically Endangered,
meaning the youngest speakers are grandparents and
older, and they speak the language partially and
infrequently and hardly pass the language to their
children and grandchildren anymore. If the remaining
150 people do not pass their native language to the
next generation of Isarog Agta people, their
indigenous language will be extinct within a period of 1
to 2 decades.

Biodiversity

A mossy forest in Mt. Isarog

 Balang (Shower) Falls in Sitio Boncao, Curry, Pili,
Camarines Sur

Mt. Isarog has a rich diversity. It displays four major

types of natural habitat or vegetation: from the warm
grassland and lowland forest to the wet and cool
climate of montane forest.

Types Altitude (meters asl.)

Lowland Forest 500-900

Grassland 700-1,200

Montane Forest 1,000-1,400

Mossy Forest 1,500-to the summit

The lowland forest is noted for its tall canopy. The
uppermost layer towers between 30–40 meters and
sometimes even reach 60 meters. Many of these
trees belong to the dipterocarp family. The second
canopy layer (between 23–30 meters) has the
sustain bamboos (Bambusa), arborescent palms
(Calamus), climbing bamboo (Schizostacyum),
climbing pandans (Freycinetia) and vascular epiphytes
such as orchids and ferns.

The grassland (parang) is dominated by cogon

(Imperata cylindrica) and talahib (Saccharum ovatum)
grasses. The topography and soil condition of the area
limits the growth of trees, giving rise to the grassland.
The montane forest has two-oken because layered
canopy trees ranging from 12–25 meters with
noticeable canopy gaps due to the absence of large
trees.

The mossy forest has a canopy with a small height of

2 to 6 meters only. The canopy is broken because of
the high winds and steep terrain. It is inhabited by
bamboo, pandan, orchids, ferns, pitcher plants and
other epiphytes. Trees at this level are covered with
moss.

Endemic

Isarog Shrew rat (Rhynchomys isarogensis) was first

discovered in 1988 in Mount Isarog. Although it has no
direct economic value, its presence in Mount Isarog is
a barometer of wealth and management of its natural
resources. It is now listed as endangered in the Red
Data Book of the International Union for Conservation
of Nature.[19]

Mount Isarog is included as a protected area, home to

endemic rodents (Archboldomys luzonensis,
Chrotomys gonzalesi and Rhynchomys isarogensis),
other endemic mammals, and 15 bird species endemic
to Luzon.

Isarog Cloud Frog was first described by scientists in

1997. In total, scientists have identified one and
possibly three new frog species, 8 species of snakes,
and 19 species of lizards.
Mount Isarog also has the rare Mount Isarog Forest
Skink (Sphenomorphus knollmanae) that is endemic.[19]

Gallery
View from Pili, Camarines Sur

View from San Jose, Camarines Sur

View from Naga, Camarines Sur

View from Minalabac, Camarines Sur

View from Baao, Camarines Sur

View from Tinambac, Camarines Sur

View from Sagñay, Camarines Sur

View from Ocampo, Camarines Sur

See also
List of volcanoes in the Philippines
 List of active volcanoes in the Philippines
List of potentially active volcanoes in the
Philippines
List of inactive volcanoes in the Philippines
List of protected areas of the Philippines
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
Pacific ring of fire

References
1. "Philippines Mountains" - Ultra Prominence Page (htt
p://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/philippines.htm
l) . Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
2. "Mount Isarog, Philippines" (http://www.peakbagger.c
om/peak.aspx?pid=12955) . Peakbagger.com.
Retrieved 2012-03-30.
3. "Isarog" (https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=273
042) . Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian
Institution. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
4. Jonas Cabiles Soltes. "It is official: Mt. Isarog is
active" (https://www.bicolmail.net/single-post/it-is-
official-mt-isarog-is-active) .
5. Smithsonian Institution. "Isarog" (https://volcano.si.ed
u/volcano.cfm?vn=273042) . Retrieved June 16, 2021.
6. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(2018). "Volcanoes of the Philippines" (https://www.p
hivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/volcano-hazard/volcan
oes-of-the-philippines) .
7. Awakening of two old volcanoes in Luzon, Philippine
Islands. v. 6. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of
America. December 1916. pp. 236–240.
8. "Isarog" (https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/isaro
g.html) . www.volcanodiscovery.com. Retrieved
2021-01-05.
9. Gerona, Danillo (June–July 1993) [1993]. "Isarog
Through the Years". The Bikol Executive. Vol. 1. pp. 21–
22.
10. "Global Volcanism Program | Isarog" (https://volcano.s
i.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=273042) . Smithsonian
Institution | Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved
2021-01-22.
11. "Proclamation No. 293; Establishing as Mount Isarog
National Park for the Benefit and Enjoyment of the
People of the Philippines the Parcel of Land Situated in
the Municipalities of Naga, Calabanga, Tinambac, Goa,
Tigaon and Pili, Province of Camarines Sur, Island of
Luzon, and Revoking for This Purpose Proclamation
No. 840, Series of 1935" (https://www.officialgazett
e.gov.ph/1938/07/20/proclamation-no-293-s-193
8/) . Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines. Malacañan Palace, Manila, Philippines. 20
July 1938. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
12. Ashton-Jones, Nick. "NIPAP – Final Report, March
2001" (https://faspselib.denr.gov.ph/sites/default/file
s//Publication%20Files/Technical%20Report_0.pdf)
(PDF). gov.ph.
13. "Mount Isarog Integrated Conservation and
Development Project" (https://www.careevaluations.
org/wp-content/uploads/evaluations/final-mtr-isar
og.doc) . CareEvaluations. Nordeco.
14. Rambaldi, Giacomo. "Participatory 3D Modelling of
Mount Isarog National Park, Camarines Sur,
Philippines" (http://www.iapad.org/case-studies/pa-
management/isarog-np/) . Participatory Avenues.
Retrieved 2022-11-28.
15. "Proclamation No. 214; Declaring the Mt. Isarog
National Park Situated in the City of Naga and
Municipalities of Calabanga, Tinambac, Tigaon, Goa,
Ocampo and Pili, Province of Camarines Sur, as a
Protected Area Pursuant to Republic Act 7586 (Nipas
Act of 1992) to be Henceforth Known as Mt. Isarog
Natural Park" (https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/20
02/06/20/proclamation-no-214-s-2002/) . Official
Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Malacañan
Palace, Manila, Philippines. 20 June 2002. Retrieved
10 March 2016.
16. Admin, Bicolmail Web (2022-09-16). "It is official: Mt.
Isarog is active" (https://www.bicolmail.net/single-po
st/it-is-official-mt-isarog-is-active) . bicolmail.
Retrieved 2022-10-08.
17. Daita, Timothy John E. (2020-01-01). "Paleomagnetic
determination of pyroclastic density current deposits
in Tagongtong and Bagumbayan Grande, Goa,
Camarines Sur, Philippines and the identification of
Isarog volcano's latest eruption age" (https://www.a
cademia.edu/49384316/Paleomagnetic_determinatio
n_of_pyroclastic_density_current_deposits_in_Tago
ngtong_and_Bagumbayan_Grande_Goa_Camarines_S
ur_Philippines_and_the_identification_of_Isarog_volc
anos_latest_eruption_age) . Virtual GeoCon.
18. "Global Volcanism Program | Isarog" (https://volcano.s
i.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=273042) . Smithsonian
Institution | Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved
2021-01-22.
 19. Kennerley, R. (2019). "Rhynchomys isarogensis" (http
s://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19712/22438209) .
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019:
e.T19712A22438209. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-
1.RLTS.T19712A22438209.en (https://doi.org/10.230
5%2FIUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T19712A22438209.en) .
Retrieved 11 November 2021.

External links
Media related to Mount Isarog at Wikimedia
Commons
Phivolcs' Mount Isarog page (http://volcano.phivolc
s.dost.gov.ph/update_VMEPD/Volcano/VolcanoLis
t/isarog.htm)
"Mount Isarog, Philippines" on Peakbagger (http://w
ww.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=12955)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Mount_Isarog&oldid=1169071541"

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