GeoPics

Check out for the First Monthly Posting!!! made by the Acads committee of Association of Geologists and Geological Engineers of Mapua🤓🤓🤓

𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐭 𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐌! 💎

Yesterday, AGGEM held its wrap-up meeting, bringing together its officers for a final face-to-face meeting for this tenure. Officers discussed plans for the remaining term, recapped past events of the tenure, shared reflections, and enjoyed activities and games.

Keep an eye out for an exciting culmination to Tenure ! We've got some buzz-worthy things coming up! 🐝

Geopics # 20

"Save and Protect the Karst Landforms of Masungi!"

Karst is a type of landscape characterized by the dissolution of bedrock, resulting in features such as sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, springs, and more. This landscape is primarily composed of limestone (calcium carbonate) and gypsum. Typically, a karst landscape develops when a significant amount of water that falls on the surface interacts with and infiltrates the subsurface through cracks, fractures, and openings eroded into the bedrock. Karst features can be worn away from above or dissolved starting from weak points within the rock.

Located in Baras, Rizal, Masungi Georeserve is a popular tourist spot and protected area outside Metro Manila, where it features a unique Karst landscape including their landforms such as caves. These rocks filter important waterways. Located upstream from Manila, this area helps manage the water flow to the city and Manila Bay. The name "Masungi" comes from the word “masungki,” which means “spiked.”

The Limestones (Masungi Limestone) that are found in the Karst landscape is part of the Maybangain Formation, which was named by Melendres and Versoza in 1960. This formation includes rocks visible along Maybangain Creek, between Sitios Batangas and San Andres in Tanay, Rizal. It is located about 3.5 kilometers north-northeast of Mt. Masungi. You can also find it at the Midland Cement Company quarry, along the Umiray, Limutan, and Makalya rivers, and near the Tanay-Daraitan road.

Despite being protected, the reserve has several problems. These include illegal logging, land-grabbing, quarrying, and violence against forest rangers. Rizal province has many natural resources and is one of the busiest areas for quarrying and mining in the country. Its proximity to the capital attracts businesses, and the land has a long history of illegal occupation and development.

We must protect our natural parks, such as the Masungi Georeserve, not only because of the impressive karst landforms found there but also due to the essential benefits that Mother Nature provides us. Natural parks are vital ecosystems that serve as natural habitats for a variety of plants and animals, and it is crucial to preserve them for future generations.



Note: These pictures came from my classmate, Jan Laurence Marquez (BS Geological Science and Engineering, Mapúa University)

References
Bruce-Lockhart, A. (2024, March 18). The battle for Masungi, a last “ark of biodiversity” in the Philippines. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/03/masungi-biodiversity-philippines-ann-dumaliang/

Cabrera, J. (2023, February 9). Saving Masungi, a last green corridor of the Philippines: Q&A with Ann Dumaliang. Mongabay Environmental News. https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/saving-masungi-a-last-green-corridor-of-the-philippines-qa-with-ann-dumaliang/

Masungi Georeserve. (2025). Masungi Georeserve: Award-winning Conservation Project | Day Trip from Manila. Masungi Georeserve. https://www.masungigeoreserve.com/

Mines and Geosciences Bureau Philippines. (2010). Geology of the Philippines. General Books.

National Geographic. (2023). Karst | National Geographic Society. Education.nationalgeographic.org. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/karst/

National Park Service. (2022, April 27). Karst Landscapes - Caves and Karst (U.S. National Park Service). Www.nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/karst-landscapes.htm