Babuyan Claro
Babuyan Claro, also known as Mount Pangasun, is an active volcano situated on Babuyan Island, the northernmost region of the Babuyan Group of Islands. This volcano is one of five volcanic centers from the Pleistocene to Holocene epochs located in north Luzon. It is part of the village of Babuyan Claro, Municipality of Calayan in Cagayan, where Ibatans reside. In their language, this volcano is called “Chinteb a Wasay,” which means ‘”Cut of the Axe“.
Babuyan Claro is a stratovolcano with an elevation of 1080 meters above sea level, basal width of 7.8 kilometers, basal area of 43.4 square kilometers, and total volume of 12.3 cubic kilometers. Babuyan Claro Volcano is part of the Babuyan (Bashi) segment of the Taiwan-Luzon Volcanic Arc, which formed due to the subduction of the Eurasian Plate beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. Near Babuyan Claro are Cayonan, Naydi, and Dionisio volcanoes, which are classified as inactive.
The Babuyan Claro is composed primarily of basaltic to andesitic lava, indicating the presence of relatively fluid magma capable of producing lava flows and moderate explosive eruptions. The volcano features two summit craters which are 300 and 400 m wide, respectively. The surrounding island terrain is characterized by lava domes, pyroclastic deposits, and intrusive igneous formations. Hydrothermal activity manifests as hot springs and fumaroles. One of the more prominent hot springs of the volcano is the Askedna Hot Spring, located at the southern base of Babuyan Claro. Hydrothermal waters in the area have a temperature range of 44.6 to 50.2 °C, are slightly acidic, and have relatively high silica content. The spring water of Babuyan Claro can be classified as near-neutral sodium chloride brine.
Historical records indicate that Babuyan Claro’s last activity in 1913 was phreatic in nature, which means that magma did not reach the surface and only served as the source of heat for the steam-driven eruption. The volcano remains seismically active, with periodic earthquake swarms and ground deformation suggesting that magma is beneath the surface. Not to be confused with the adjacent more conical-shaped and restless Smith Volcano, Babuyan Claro rarely erupts but nonetheless potentially hazardous.
Other Names: Mount Pangasun, Chinteb a Wasay (Ibatan)
Central Crater Latitude and Longitude: 19.52325 121.94976
Central Crater Elevation (masl): 850
Region: Region 2 (Cagayan Valley)
Tectonic Setting: Subduction zone
Volcanic Arc/Belt: Babuyan (Bashi) segment of the Taiwan-Luzon Volcanic Arc
Volcanic Region/Field: Batanes Volcanic Field
Volcanic Type: Stratovolcano
Last Known Eruption: Uncertain phreatic activity, 1913
Morphometry Type: Sub-cone
Highest Peak (masl): 1058
Coordinates of Highest Peak: 19.52493 121.95252
Prominence (m): 952
Basal Area (km2): 43.4
Basal Width (km): 7.8
Volume (km3): 12.3
How to cite this page:
UPRI (2025). Babuyan Claro: Volcanoes of the Philippines (NOAH Open File Reports). Distributed by the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, compiled by Alexis Bryan G. Rivera. ISSN 2362 7409.
References:
Defant, M. J., Maury, R., Joron, J., Feigenson, M. D., Leterrier, J., Bellon, H., Jacques, D., & Richard, M. (1990). The geochemistry and tectonic setting of the northern section of the Luzon arc (The Philippines and Taiwan). Tectonophysics, 183(1–4), 187–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(90)90416-6
Global Volcanism Program (2025). Babuyan Claro (274030) in [Database] Volcanoes of the World (v. 5.2.6; 5 Feb 2025). Distributed by Smithsonian Institution, compiled by Venzke, E. https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=274030
Ibatan – Chinteb a Wasay. (n.d.). https://sil-philippines-languages.org/online/ivb/dict/lexicon/lx01319.html
Paguican, E. M. (2012, July 9). The structure, morphology, and surface texture of debris avalanche deposits: field and remote sensing mapping and analogue modelling. https://theses.hal.science/tel-00794267
Paguican, E. M., Grosse, P., Fabbro, G. N., & Kervyn, M. (2021). Morphometric classification and spatial distribution of Philippine volcanoes. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 418, 107251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2021.107251
PHIVOLCS (2013). Babuyan Claro (archive). https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233656/http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/html/update_VMEPD/Volcano/VolcanoList/babuyanclaro.htm
PHIVOLCS (2016). Volcanoes of the Philippines. https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/volcano-hazard/volcanoes-of-the-philippines