Musuan
Encyclopedia
Musuan Peak or Mount Musuan , also known as Mount Calayo is an active volcano on the island of Mindanao
in the Philippines
. It is 4.5 kilometres south of the city of Valencia
, province
of Bukidnon
, and 81 km southeast of Cagayan de Oro City
.
and tuff cone.
It has an elevation of 646 meters asl
, and a base diameter of 3 km.
reports that Musuan erupted in 1866 and 1867, but the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program records another eruption, possibly phreatic
, that "burned everything around it." The explosion supposedly occurred four years before the 1891 visit of a Jesuit priest, who reported that he could not examine the volcano more closely because of strong solfataric activity.
A strong seismic swarm occurred near Musuan in 1976.
Musuan is one of the active volcanos in the Philippines, which are all part of the Pacific ring of fire
.
and conifers.
There are 524 species of plants in Mt. Musuan under 353 genera and 135 families. 301 species are trees, 51 shrubs, 50 grasses and sedges, 46 herbs, 42 vines, 31 ferns, and 3 fern allies. 188 species (35%) are economically important, 128 species (24%) are endemic, and 3 (1%) are endangered species. Musuan peak has approximately 6,354 individual trees. The most common tree species (in density and frequency) are the Mallotus multiglandulosus
(Kamala tree) and Colona serratifolia
, followed by Clausena brevistyla and Alstonia scholaris
(Blackboard tree). Three species of pteridophytes are locally threatened: Marsilea crenata
("apat-apat"), Ceratopteris thalictroides
("pakung-sungay"), and Lycopodium cernuum (clubmoss). 10 species of pteridophytes are endemic to the area.
Valencia City is located North of the peak, the Central Mindanao University
(CMU) and Barangay Dologon at the southwest, and the Pulangi River
on the entire eastern side.
At the foot of Musuan Peak is the Mt. Musuan Zoological and Botanical Garden of the Central Mindanao University. It includes a butterfly greenhouse and a reforestation nursery among its buildings. The Sayre Highway
and a research center of the Philippine Carabao Center are located on the western slopes. It has a tourist shop which sells dairy products made from Carabao
milk. South of the mountain are the university agricultural facilities including a cattle ranch
, a poultry farm
, greenhouse
s, and a dairy
.
Due to its proximity to the university and the university town proper, it has become a popular destination for students, teachers, and tourists; either for picnics or a study of the flora and fauna of one of the few remnants of the jungles that once covered the valleys of the surrounding areas. From its isolated position in the middle of the valley and the very small surface area of its highest point (only a few meters), the entire countryside is visible from the top. Currently its slopes has been the target of extensive reforestation efforts partly paid for by the establishment of toll gates to hikers intending to go up the mountain.
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It is 4.5 kilometres south of the city of Valencia
Valencia City, Bukidnon
The City of Valencia is a 2nd class city in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 162,745 people in 28,425 households.-History:...
, province
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
of Bukidnon
Bukidnon
Bukidnon is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Malaybalay City. The province borders, clockwise starting from the north, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte.Bukidnon is...
, and 81 km southeast of Cagayan de Oro City
Cagayan de Oro City
Cagayan de Oro; , officially the City of Cagayan de Oro, is the provincial capital city of the province of Misamis Oriental in the Philippines...
.
Physical characteristics
Musuan is a lava domeLava dome
|250px|thumb|right|Image of the [[rhyolitic]] lava dome of [[Chaitén Volcano]] during its 2008–2009 eruption.In volcanology, a lava dome is a roughly circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano...
and tuff cone.
It has an elevation of 646 meters asl
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, and a base diameter of 3 km.
Eruptions
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and SeismologyPhilippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the protection of life and property and in...
reports that Musuan erupted in 1866 and 1867, but the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program records another eruption, possibly phreatic
Phreatic
The term phreatic is used in Earth sciences to refer to matters relating to ground water below the water table . The term 'phreatic surface' indicates the location where the pore water pressure is under atmospheric conditions...
, that "burned everything around it." The explosion supposedly occurred four years before the 1891 visit of a Jesuit priest, who reported that he could not examine the volcano more closely because of strong solfataric activity.
A strong seismic swarm occurred near Musuan in 1976.
Musuan is one of the active volcanos in the Philippines, which are all part of the Pacific ring of fire
Pacific Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements...
.
Flora
Mount Musuan's northern slope is still covered by a primary rainforest. The rest is covered predominantly by Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica). Reforestation efforts on the bare areas, both in tree-planting drives and by Central Mindanao University personnel, have established temporary forests of Acacia mangiumAcacia mangium
Acacia mangium is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to northeastern Queensland in Australia, the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, Papua, and the eastern Maluku Islands. Common names include Black Wattle, Hickory Wattle and Mangium...
and conifers.
There are 524 species of plants in Mt. Musuan under 353 genera and 135 families. 301 species are trees, 51 shrubs, 50 grasses and sedges, 46 herbs, 42 vines, 31 ferns, and 3 fern allies. 188 species (35%) are economically important, 128 species (24%) are endemic, and 3 (1%) are endangered species. Musuan peak has approximately 6,354 individual trees. The most common tree species (in density and frequency) are the Mallotus multiglandulosus
Mallotus (plant)
Mallotus is a genus of the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. 2 species are found in tropical Africa and Madagascar. About 140 species are found in East and Southeast Asia and from Indomalaysia to New Caledonia and Fiji, northern and eastern Australia...
(Kamala tree) and Colona serratifolia
Tiliaceae
Tiliaceae is a botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family is not part of APG II, but it is found all through the botanical literature and remains prominently listed by nomenclatural databases such as IPNI....
, followed by Clausena brevistyla and Alstonia scholaris
Alstonia scholaris
Alstonia scholaris Alstonia scholaris Alstonia scholaris (Apocynaceae, commonly called Blackboard tree, Indian devil tree, Ditabark, Milkwood pine, White cheesewood and Pulai; syn. Echites scholaris L. Mant., Pala scholaris L...
(Blackboard tree). Three species of pteridophytes are locally threatened: Marsilea crenata
Marsilea
Marsilea is a genus of approximately 65 species of aquatic ferns of the family Marsileaceae.These small plants are of unusual appearance and do not resemble common ferns...
("apat-apat"), Ceratopteris thalictroides
Ceratopteris thalictroides
The species Ceratopteris thalictroides is a fern species belonging to the genus Ceratopteris, one of only two genera of the Ceratopteridaceae family. The species represents a special living form of ferns, and is thus of great botanical interest...
("pakung-sungay"), and Lycopodium cernuum (clubmoss). 10 species of pteridophytes are endemic to the area.
History and Infrastructure
Mt. Musuan's lack of any visible crater has led to some local skepticism of it being an active volcano. Still, the imagery evoked by its name variant 'Mount Calayo' (Fire Mountain) and the stories told by local Bukidnon tribesmen keeps people wary of the relatively small mountain which doesn't look like a volcano at all.Valencia City is located North of the peak, the Central Mindanao University
Central Mindanao University
Central Mindanao University is one of the two universities in the province of Bukidnon, Mindanao Island in the Philippines.-History:Central Mindanao University was transformed from a settlement of farm schools organized by the Americans. It started as the Mailag Industrial School in 1910 and...
(CMU) and Barangay Dologon at the southwest, and the Pulangi River
Pulangi River
The Pulangi River , also spelled Pulangui, is the longest river in Bukidnon. It is one of the major tributaries of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, an extensive river system in Mindanao, Philippines...
on the entire eastern side.
At the foot of Musuan Peak is the Mt. Musuan Zoological and Botanical Garden of the Central Mindanao University. It includes a butterfly greenhouse and a reforestation nursery among its buildings. The Sayre Highway
Sayre Highway
Sayre Highway is the portion of the Philippine national highway that starts from Puerto, Cagayan de Oro City to Kabacan, North Cotabato. It traverses the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and North Cotabato....
and a research center of the Philippine Carabao Center are located on the western slopes. It has a tourist shop which sells dairy products made from Carabao
Carabao
The carabao or Bubalus bubalis carabanesis is a subspecies of the domesticated water buffalo found in the Philippines, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and various parts of Southeast Asia...
milk. South of the mountain are the university agricultural facilities including a cattle ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
, a poultry farm
Poultry farming
Poultry farming is the raising of domesticated birds such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese, for the purpose of farming meat or eggs for food. According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74 percent of the world's poultry meat, and 68 percent of eggs are produced in ways that are described as...
, greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s, and a dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
.
Due to its proximity to the university and the university town proper, it has become a popular destination for students, teachers, and tourists; either for picnics or a study of the flora and fauna of one of the few remnants of the jungles that once covered the valleys of the surrounding areas. From its isolated position in the middle of the valley and the very small surface area of its highest point (only a few meters), the entire countryside is visible from the top. Currently its slopes has been the target of extensive reforestation efforts partly paid for by the establishment of toll gates to hikers intending to go up the mountain.
See also
- Active volcanoes in the PhilippinesActive volcanoes in the PhilippinesActive is commonly termed for volcanoes with historical eruptions. Moreover, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology classify active volcanoes in the country as having erupted within historical times , with accounts of these eruptions documented by man; or having erupted within the...
- Potentially active volcanoes in the Philippines
- Inactive volcanoes in the Philippines
- Philippine Institute of Volcanology and SeismologyPhilippine Institute of Volcanology and SeismologyThe Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the protection of life and property and in...
- VolcanoVolcano2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
- Central Mindanao UniversityCentral Mindanao UniversityCentral Mindanao University is one of the two universities in the province of Bukidnon, Mindanao Island in the Philippines.-History:Central Mindanao University was transformed from a settlement of farm schools organized by the Americans. It started as the Mailag Industrial School in 1910 and...
- Pulangi RiverPulangi RiverThe Pulangi River , also spelled Pulangui, is the longest river in Bukidnon. It is one of the major tributaries of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, an extensive river system in Mindanao, Philippines...