The Geology of the

Guadalupe Tuff

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UP Geological Society E-Bedrock

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Feb 18, 2021

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By Walter Brown

Note: This article was first published in the January 1960 issue of
Bedrock.

The Guadalupe tuff formation is a thick sequence of well stratified

andesitic tuff and tuffaceous sandstones, shales and agglomerates
found in western and portion of the area at the edge of the Central
Plain.

The definition of the formation may be attributed to Warren D. Smith.

At the time he was conducting his survey, there were already on hand
several descriptions of the formation, but he was the first to utilize the
present formational name noting that excellent exposures could be
encountered at the type locality in Guadalupe, Rizal. Smith however,
refrained from making his own description of the formation but
instead relied on the earlier work of Von Drasche.

“As one goes from Manila along the Pasig river, there appears in a
short time a brown tufflike Pozzuolan ( trass ) or pumice tuff. This
material can be separated into one-part rich in crystal fragments and
fairly clastic pumacious material and another which is a pumice
conglomerate with fragments of volcanic rock mixed with it.”

Examination of literature pertaining to the formation reveals some

divergence of opinion as to some characteristics of the formation.
While an article of this type precludes a discussion of pertinent ideas,
only the most important will be considered.

Firstly, there are some differences of opinion as to the thickness of the

formation. Corby claims a thickness of from 1,300 to 2.000 meters.
There is however no reliable data on which to base such a premise, this
thickness being seen on the basis of projections. Alvir is more modest
and refers only to beds totaling from 130 to 300 meters.
Examination of well logs taken in the area shows a considerable
thickness of tuffaceous material. Irving mentions a deep well in the
town of Pasig which was brought down to 800 feet without penetrating
tthe formation. An examination of well logs taken at Fort William
McKinley and at Makati, Rizal indicate tuff up to depths of 400 feet.
That there is a relatively thick sequence of tuffaceous material is quite
evident. However, the amount and nature of the work done by various
researchers on the Guadalupe tuff prevents anyone from stating
conclusively the vertical limits of the formation.

Corby notes that the Guadalupe tuff unconformably overlies late

Tertiary volcanics, an observation concurred in by Irving and Teves.
Corby further sees a close parallelism between the Guadalupe and
Laguna tuffs inferring that the Guadalupe may well be a finer-grained
member.

Cursory examination of the literature will reveal non-agreement as to

age in the earlier articles. However, at present, evidences as to the
Pleistocene deposition of the Guadalupe tuff are definitely conclusive.
Pleistocene vertebrates and artifacts were reported to have been found
near the type locality. Teves reports that during the Japanese
occupation H. O. Okutsu, a paleobotanist, visited and collected plant
fossils from several localities in the Philippines and looked into their
classification and age determination. He assigned those from San
Juan, Rizal, associated with the volcanic tuff to the Pleistocene.
Faustino reports that “no marine fossil has been identified as most of
the forms encountered in the drill samples are small pieces or shells
and diligent search for other fossils has not been made.”

Adams also refers to the formation and reports that “occasionally a log
of wood has been encountered in drilling and plant remains, fish teeth
and one mammalian tooth have been round in the beds.”

An additional feature of the beds which may be taken as an indicator of

their age is the presence of “tectites” which have been collected
extensively by Dr. Beyer in the Diliman area.

“… tectites are certain glassy bodies found in various parts of the world
in Ouaternary and Tertiary deposits. These bodies, apparently
irregularly shaped, and their form seems to imply an origin through
solidification from a viscous melt.”

The general characteristics Of the Guadalupe tuff formation have been

discussed in the preceding pages. Such information as was given has
been gleaned almost entirely from an examination or the literature
pertinent to the subject. However, as has been previously mentioned,
most of the previous work done on the formation has been of such a
nature that certain inherent limitations clue to the broadness of scope
and limited exposures have been felt.
It is with this knowledge and with a desire to undertake a detailed
examination of the academic implications of the Guadalupe tuff
formation that this project was undertaken.

The undertaking was a class project. The class was divided into five
groups each composed of four students. Students with previous field
experience were designated as party chiefs and each group was
assigned a definite area. Each group was held responsible for the
mapping of the area assigned to it and for the measurement of the
individual sections. Subsequently, correlation, examination, and
evaluation of gathered data was undertaken in order to gain a regional
picture of the formation and in general to collect as much information
as possible about the Guadalupe tuff in order to be able find reliable
criteria for interformational correlation and also to gain an idea as to
genesis of the formation.

Traverses were conducted with Brunton compasses, tape and range

finder. Direct measurement of exposed sections was done whenever
possible and in other cases, resort was made to triangulation. A map
compiled from aerial photographs and made available to the groups
through the courtesy Of the Bureau of Mines was utilized as the
basemap, the location of landmarks on the map serving as a control for
the traverses. Doubts as to the accuracy of the various contour lines
first all due to distortion and also due the large amount of excavation
taking place in the area led the workers to resort to altimeter reading
and also to the use of the Brunton compasses for determining
elevations.
Work was undertaken over a period of six weeks divided as follows: the
first week was set aside for orientation; the next two weeks for actual
field work; and the remaining two weeks being allotted for the
examination of rock samples and for the drafting and writing necessary
for the preparation of the report. Strict adherence to the schedule was
not however feasible, additional time being taken for necessary field
work.

GEOGRAPHY

Field party №1 was responsible for the geology of the type section
situated at Guadalupe, Rizal. Field party №2 worked the area to the
northwest within the jurisdiction of the town of Pasig. Field party №3
covered the along Ortigas Avenue from Ugong to Highway 54. Field
parties №4 and 5 worked the area to the West and southwest Of the
University site respectively.

The topography is generally rolling elevations being in the

neighborhood of from 20 to over a hundred feet. The entire region is
considered a homocline with gentle southwesterly dips although
faulting is widespread causing some areas to fail to conform to the
regional pattern.

Lithology
Teves made reference to two distinct members of the Guadalupe tuff, a
lower Alat conglomerate and a younger member which he called the
Diliman member.

“The other member, a truly volcanic tuff, is called the Diliman member
as proposed. Three main types have been recognized. The first type is
fairly well lithified. It is hard, usually of light gray color and fine-
grained, although coarse-grained phases have been noted. In some
places, dark prismatic minerals apparently hornblende, may be seen.
This gives it the appearance of andesite. Tiny white specks which are
bits of weathered pumice may also be seen. This is the most
widespread in the area.

The second type is very fine-grained tuff of consolidated volcanic ash

or dust which is also light gray in color. The main characteristic of this
type is the presence of concretions one centimeter or more in diameter.
The nuclei are invariably of pumice. It is in this type wherein fossil
leaves and twigs are found just as in the tuffaceous shales above.

The third type, volcanic breccia, is fairly abundant in the area. This
consists of coarse volcanic material, pumice. scoria and sometimes
even fragments of basalt consolidated with fine grains in between. The
color of the rock depends upon the fragments that make up the rock
but varies from purple to light brown. The Diliman member is water
laid and bedded or stratified. Sometimes a layer of clay separates the
beds from one another or may separate strata in the same kind of tuff.”
In the course of investigations, three dominant rock types were noted
which conform quite closely to the three described by Teves.

A pumice-cinder tuff which resembles in general characteristics the

volcanic breccia described by Teves is quite abundant and the beds are
relatively thick. Components are siliceous; the cinders, pumice and
scoria and assorted glassy fragments being enclosed in a fine-grained
matrix that varies in size and composition from fine volcanic ash to
fine-grained blue sands, cementation being quite complete and most
probably also siliceous. This pumice-cinder tuff can be subdivided
further on the basis of color and size of inclusions; the color varies
from purple to brownish gray and the size of inclusions ranges from
fragments of pebble-size to cobble-size. Both, however, are similar as
regards to the orientation or rather lack of orientation of the
inclusions. There being no appreciable order, is evident although cross
bedding may be discerned in some instances.

There is also fine-grained concretionary tuff. The color varies from

light gray to light brown, the size ranges from fine sand to fine silt, the
material is well indurated, and the cement is siliceous. It is well
stratified. The characteristic concretions are commonly in the order of
a centimeter in cross section. These beds also are seen to contain
abundant fossil leaves and twigs. It is noticed, however, that on the
north bank or the Pasig river, sharp facies changes can be observed
with this fine-grained concretionary tuff grading into cross bedded
blue sands which also contain some cinders, pumice, and scoria. It is
noticed that the sands are also siliceous, being composed of sub-
rounded to rounded glassy fragments.

The third distinct type is noted at the upper of the type section exposed
at the quarry site on the south bank of the Pasig River. At this point
may be observed two beds of fine-grained tuff which can be
distinguished from the concretionary tuff not only due to the absence
of said concretions but also by the presence of abundant pumice
fragments with sizes ranging from half a centimeter to more than two
centimeters. The lower bed shows a pitted weathering surface, and the
upper bed shows abundant channel deposits. The matrix of tuffaceous
material ranging from fine silt to fine sand in size. Some prismatic
minerals, dark blue glassy fragments, round concentrical “mud balls”
and, in the lower beds, fossil leaves and twigs may be distinguished.

The most characteristic feature of the sequence is, however, the

presence of buff clay horizons. Their occurrence evidently is
widespread for they are found in each of the five areas at frequent
intervals. In the type section alone, four distinct layers can be made
out. The composition of these horizons seems to be quite similar in
nature over the entire area and seems to suggest fossil soil or
weathering surface. The bed is composed largely of clay, probably from
weathered plagioclases and other feldspars, abundant glassy fragments
and at intervals, fossil leaves and twigs. Overall composition points to
the tuffaceous nature of this horizon. Occasional hornblende crystals
can also be seen upon closer examination.
In the Guadalupe area, the second buff horizon from the base of the
section bears out the supposition that it is a weathering surface. It can
clearly be seen to bevel the underlying formation and is a positive
evidence of an unconformable deposition. However, the other buff
horizons do not give such conclusive evidence, being on the whole
fairly well stratified.

The tuff is evidently water laid. As has been previously mentioned,

common observation of cross bedding indicates a deltaic environment
of deposition. Grading of some of the deposits indicates shallow water
deposition and facies changes attendant to the repeated incursions and
withdrawals of fluctuating sea. The presence of vegetation is proven by
the fossil leaves and twigs. These and other evidence present a very
interesting picture of the conditions prevailing at the time of
deposition.

THE TYPE SECTION

The sequence at Guadalupe, Rizal, is relatively undisturbed, judging

from the absence of positive evidence of faulting although local
slumping can be discerned at some points and the possibility of small
faults of very small displacement cannot be entirely overlooked.

The outcrops are not continuous in the sense that the beds cannot be
actually walked out because of the large amount of excavation going on
in the area, but because the relative nearness of the exposures,
projection is quite satisfactory. Thus, the tying area of individual
exposures within the type area does not present any great difficulty.

CORRELATION

The criteria used predominantly in both local and regional correlation

were physical in nature. The Presence of widespread buff horizons was
opportune in that it provided a very good basis for the tying-in or the
individual sections.

However, the fact that there are several of such horizons at frequent
intervals in the sequence necessitated the taking into account the
relative positions of the various lithologic units with respect to both to
the buff horizons and to each other. The problem was further
complicated by the fact that at least one of the buff horizons was seen
not to maintain the same level but to bevel underlying formations, and
that in most of the areas, faulting was widespread. Another
complication encountered was lateral variations in lithology (facies
changes).

Factors, however, like the persistence of some thick beds such as the
pebble pumice encountered in Areas 2, 3 and 5 and the presence of
concretions and cross bedding in some units in the sequence, when
taken together with position in sequence and relative position with
respect to the buff horizons, made correlation possible. It should be
emphasized that correlation was not attempted on the basis of any one
of the given criteria but upon a combination of as many of the observed
facts as possible. Any attempt to place reliance on a single factor such
as lithologic appearance would be extremely hazardous considering
possible repetition of beds of similar lithologic appearance due either
to cyclic deposition or to faulting and also considering that several
facies changes seen to occur in the area under study.

Paleontological evidence such as the presence of fossil leaves and twigs

are of minor importance since their occurrence is not restricted
appreciably vertically and facies changes occur in many of the beds
characterized by fossil leaves. The same can be said of the occurrence
of concretions which can be seen in some beds in the fine-grained gray
portion that merge into cross bedded blue sands. However, it should be
noted that these minor details are also useful in serving as additional
evidence to strengthen the validity of correlations made on the
strength of other evidence.

CONCLUSION

Despite the widespread faulting and excavation, correlation within the

Guadalupe tuff is quite satisfactory due primarily to the opportune
existence of widespread horizons such as the buff and the pumice
layers and the relative closeness of the exposures. Even in faulted
areas, a composite section can be compiled, and correlation
accomplished on the basis of position in sequence and general
lithologic characters.