Zambales mountains
| Zambales mountains | |
|---|---|
 View of the crater lake of Pinatubo |
|
| Highest peak | Tapulao ( 2037 m ) |
| location | Luzon Island , Philippines |
| part of | Filipino Cordilleras |
| Coordinates | 15 ° 29 ′ N , 120 ° 7 ′ E |
The Zambales Mountains are a mountain range on the western side of Luzón in the Philippines . They separate Luzon's central plains from the South China Sea and extend, including Manila Bay, to Bataan Province .
The Zambales Mountains form the western front of the central part of the Philippine Cordillera on the island of Luzon . The shape of the mountain range is very different. In the north, where the foothills extend into the peninsula bordering the Gulf of Lingayen in the west , there are extensive flat areas in the low-lying, flat hill country. In the width of Lingayen begins the actual mountain country , which very quickly reaches heights of 1000 meters. The centrally located largest peaks reach their greatest height with the 2037 meter high mountain Tapulao , known under the name High Peak. Other mountains in this mountain range are the Mabanban , 1035 meters, the Pinatubo , 1486 meters, the Natib , 1253 meters, and the Mariveles , with an altitude of 1388 meters, in the province of Bataan .
The southern part of the mountain range is more densely forested compared to the north . Due to the regionally widespread slash-and-burn clearing, the once predominant rainforest can only be found in places from an altitude of 1500 meters. The Zambales Mountains often reach the coast, so that the flat coastal strip is very narrow.
The largest river in the Zambales Mountains is the 205 km long Agno . Its source is near the Pinatubo ; it flows along the eastern flank of the mountains and flows into the Gulf of Lingayen near the city of Dagupan City . The most famous mountain in the mountain range is the 1486 meter high Pinatubo . It is an active volcano and erupted again in 1991 after a 600-year hiatus.
One endemic species of insect found in the Zambales Mountains is Sungaya inexpectata .
geology
Granite, grano-diorite, gabbros, peridotite and diabase make up the mountain range . However, due to the overlying sediments and volcanic deposits, they rarely come to the surface. They can only be found on the flanks of deeply cut valleys. The main mass of the sediments in the north is formed by the Vigo-Miocene (named after the Vigo River). They are several thousand meters thick, widespread and mainly consist of sandstone , sand-lime stone , slate clay and limestone. Volcanic deposits , andesitic and basaltic material, most of which date from the post-Miocene period , represent a characteristic element of the southern landscape of the mountains.