Camiguin de Babuyanes
Camiguin de Babuyanes is a 712 meter-high stratovolcano at the southwestern tip of Camiguin Island, in the Babuyan Archipelago, north of Luzon. It is not to be confused with the volcanic island of Camiguin in Mindanao, which is located in the south of the Philippines. The Camiguin de Babuyanes island encompasses a land area of merely 166 km² and is characterized by steep, forested hills and small rice fields situated in the floodplains of rivers. The island’s population, which approaches 4,000 residents and at high risk from hazards associated with active volcanism, is primarily distributed across the three principal settlement areas of Balatubat and Naguilian along the southwestern cove, and Minabel on the northwestern shoreline.
The volcano formed during the Pliocene Epoch through andesitic volcanic activity and is accompanied by subsidiary cones such as Minabul and Caanoan to the north and east. The southern part of the island hosts three volcanic centers, including Camiguin de Babuyanes Volcano, as well as the younger lava domes of Mt. Malabsing and Mt. Pamoctan. The volcano is characterized by fumaroles on its southwest, west, and east flanks, with a boiling spring near sea level on the western side. Camiguin de Babuyanes and the adjacent inactive Balatubat Volcano are two of the more prominent structures of the Babuyan Island Arc, a volcanic chain located in the Babuyan Channel between the northern Philippines and the Batanes Islands.
The Camiguin de Babuyanes Volcano is notable for its symmetrical conical shape, which is characteristic of many stratovolcanoes. It has a single record of explosive activity recorded in 1857, which was described as a phreatic eruption and possibly submarine. Since then, it has remained dormant. The Camiguin de Babuyanes Island is also known as the place to find the wolf snake Lycodon bibonius or Ota’s wolf snake, a non-venomous reptile described only from this island. The species designation “bibonius” originates from the Latin term “bibo,” which means “to drink.” This name was selected by biologists Hidetoshi Ota and Charles Ross to pay tribute to their colleague R. I. Crombie, who has generously shared his knowledge and camaraderie, often in the context of enjoying beverages together (Ota and Ross, 1994). Herpetologists also believe that there remains an undescribed species of flying-lizard from Camiguin de Babuyanes (Lazell, 1992).
Other Names: Mount Camiguin
Latitude and Longitude: 18.83245 121.86361
Region: Region 2 – Cagayan Valley
Tectonic Setting: Subduction (Manila Trench)
Volcanic Arc/Belt: Luzon Volcanic Arc
Volcanic Region/Field: Batanes Volcanic Region
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Last Known Eruption: (in or before) 1857
Morphometry Type: Cone
Highest Peak (masl): 712
Coordinates of Highest Peak: 18.83245 121.86361
Prominence (m): 693
Basal Area (km2): 3.389
Basal Width (km): 9
Volume (km3): 3
How to cite this page:
UPRI (2025) Camiguin de Babuyanes: Volcanoes of the Philippines (NOAH Open File Reports). Distributed by the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, compiled by Audrei Anne B. Ybañez. ISSN 2362 7409.
References:
Camiguin de Babuyanes., n.d. Pinoy Mountaineer. [photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Camiguin-de-Babuyanes/photos/8575.
Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS). Lava Flow Hazard Map of Camiguin de Babuyanes Volcano. [Map] Version 1. 1:10,000. Quezon City, Philippines: DOST-PHIVOLCS, January 2024.
Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS). Pyroclastic Density Current and Lahar Hazard Map of Camiguin de Babuyanes Volcano. [Map] Version 1. 1:10,000. Quezon City, Philippines: DOST-PHIVOLCS, January 2024.
Global Volcanism Program, 2024. Camiguin de Babuyanes (274010) in [Database] Volcanoes of the World (v. 5.2.1; 3 Jul 2024). Distributed by Smithsonian Institution, compiled by Venzke, E. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.VOTW5-2024.5.2
Google LLC, 2024. Google Earth Pro [application]. Available at: https://www.google.com/earth/download/gep/agree.html (Accessed: 31 July 2024).
Lasco, G., 2017. Mt. Camiguin de Babuyanes. Pinoy Mountaineer. [photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2017/04/hiking-matters-550-the-hike-up-mt-camiguin-de-babuyanes.html.
Lazell, J. (1992). New flying lizards and predictive biogeography of two Asian archipelagos. Bull Mus Comp Zool, 15, 475-505.
NAMRIA, 2005.
Ota, H., & Ross, C. A. (1994). Four new species of Lycodon (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the northern Philippines. Copeia, 159-174.
Paguican, E.M., Grosse, P., Fabbro, G.N. and Kervyn, M., 2021. Morphometric classification and spatial distribution of Philippine volcanoes. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 418, p.107251.
Reyes, R.G., 2021. Geochemical Assessment of the Mt. Camiguin De Babuyanes Geothermal field, Calayan, Cagayan, Philippines. [online] Rafhlaðan. Available at: https://rafhladan.is/handle/10802/32707.
Siebert, L., Simkin, T. and Kimberly, P., 2011. Volcanoes of the World. Univ. of California Press.