Camiguin

Geography & Climate

Camiguin is located in Philippines, within the Mindanao Volcanic Province of the broader Western Pacific Volcanic Regions. Situated at 9.20° N, 124.67° E in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a tropical climate zone. With a summit elevation of 1,552 meters above sea level, Camiguin is a moderately sized peak that remains accessible to hikers and researchers for much of the year. The volcanic landform is characterized as a composite, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Camiguin sits in a subduction zone, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another, creating intense heat and pressure that generates magma. Subduction zones are responsible for many of the world's most explosive volcanoes and deadliest eruptions. For communities in Philippines near Camiguin, this tectonic setting means the volcano is capable of producing powerful explosive eruptions, pyroclastic flows, and lahars that can threaten populated areas within tens of kilometers of the summit. The dominant rock type is andesite / basaltic andesite, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that forms from rapidly cooling, low-viscosity lava. Basaltic eruptions tend to be less explosive and produce fluid lava flows that can travel long distances. While less immediately dangerous than explosive eruptions, basaltic lava flows can destroy structures and infrastructure in their path, and volcanic gases released during these eruptions can affect air quality over a wide area.

Eruption History Summary

Camiguin has 4 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 1827 CE to 1948 CE. The most powerful recorded event was a severe eruption capable of regional ash fall and pyroclastic flows in 1948 CE, reaching VEI 3 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. These eruptions span roughly 121 years of volcanic history. The most recent eruption in 1948 CE places this volcano within the modern era of volcanological observation.

Significance

With a maximum recorded VEI of 3, Camiguin has produced eruptions capable of generating pyroclastic flows and significant ash fall in the surrounding area. While not among the largest eruptions globally, VEI 3 events pose serious hazards to local populations and can disrupt regional air travel.

GVP Reference Summary

The 20-km-long Camiguin Island just off the coast of north-central Mindanao Island consists of four overlapping stratovolcanoes overlying older buried edifices. Mt. Mambajao, the high point of the island, has a youthful morphology with summit and flank lava domes, one of which partially fills a crater breached to the NW. The eroded stratovolcanoes of Mt. Butay and Mt. Ginsiliban form the SE tip of the island and lie at one end of the NNW-SSE trending line of vents cutting across the island. The Binone cinder cone lies along the SE coast. The youngest volcano, Hibok-Hibok (also known as Catarman), lies at the NW end of the island ~6 km NW of Mt. Mambajao. This andesitic-to-rhyolitic volcano contains several lava domes, including Mt. Vulcan on its NW flank. Major eruptions from Hibok-Hibok during 1871-75 and 1948-53 formed flank lava domes and produced pyroclastic flows that devastated coastal villages.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program