Camiguin de Babuyanes

Geography & Climate

Camiguin de Babuyanes is located in Philippines, within the Luzon Volcanic Arc of the broader Western Pacific Volcanic Regions. Situated at 18.83° N, 121.86° E in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a tropical climate zone. With a summit elevation of 712 meters above sea level, Camiguin de Babuyanes 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 de Babuyanes 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 de Babuyanes, 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 de Babuyanes has 1 recorded eruption in the geological database, spanning from 1857 CE to 1857 CE. The most powerful recorded event was an explosive event producing ash plumes up to several kilometers in 1857 CE, reaching VEI 2 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.

GVP Reference Summary

Forested Mount Camiguin occupies the SW tip of 22-km-long Camiguin Island in the Babuyan archipelago, north of Luzon Island. Following construction of an andesitic volcano during the Pliocene, the subsidiary cones of Minabul to the north and Caanoan to the east were constructed on the northern part of the island. The southern part of the island consists of three volcanic centers located along a SSE-NNW line, the andesitic Mount Camiguin stratovolcano and the young andesitic lava domes of Mt. Malabsing and Pamoctan. A phreatic eruption, possibly in part submarine, was reported from Camiguin de Babuyanes around 1857. Fumaroles are found on the SW, W, and E flanks of the volcano, and a boiling spring is located near sea level on the W flank.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program