GEAR Laboratory UP Diliman-NIGS

IGW 2026 isn’t over just yet 😎

📍For the last stop, we have three amazing destinations: CHOCOLATE HILLS, HUNDRED ISLANDS, and the ST. PAUL LIMESTONE FORMATION!

Wonder what these sites have in common? The answer is they’re all karst landscapes ✨ Characterized by distinct landforms due to the presence of soluble rocks such as limestone, these environments can be found throughout the Philippines due to its geologic history.

That’s a wrap for IGW 2026! See you next year 👋

References

Hundred islands national park. (Global Alliance of National Parks). (n.d.). https://national-parks.org/philippines/hundred-islands/

Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.-b). https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/652/

Salomon, J. N. (2011). A mysterious karst: the “Chocolate Hills” of Bohol (Philippines). Acta carsologica, 40(3).

GEARL Power ✨💪💜

We are joining the celebration this International Women’s Day by recognizing the important role women play in science. Here at GEAR, we believe that representation and equal opportunities for women and girls in STEM is essential to securing a better future for all of us.

Happy !

📍Next stop: BIRI ROCK FORMATION — featuring seven giant rock islets in Northern Samar, is said to have been where a “battle of the gods” took place.

The site has a rich geological history of underwater tectonic uplift and wave erosion, making it a place of scientific wonder 🪨




[1] Arnaiz, V. C. (2014). A gem of ages: 7 island rock formations in Northern Samar. Philippine Inquirer. https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/156144/a-gem-of-ages-7-island-rock-formations-in-northern-samar/

[2] Gabieta, J. A. (2025). Biri rock formations declared national geological monument. Philippine Inquirer. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2143216/biri-rock-formations-declared-national-geological-monument

[3] Meniano, S. (2025). Geologists find 15-20-million-yr-old rock formations in N. Samar. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1246959

✍️ Caption and Content by Erin Ante
🧑‍🎨 Layout by Ben Dumlao

📍 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗋𝖽 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗉: 𝙇𝘼 𝙋𝘼𝙕 𝙎𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝙐𝙉𝙀𝙎 🏜️ —Known as the ‘Desert of the North’, the La Paz Sand Dunes is part of the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes (INSD). This unique environment has been shaped by an interplay of fluvial, coastal, and aeolian processes.

Spanning 85 kilometers, this coastal desert is truly one of a kind in the country ✨




[1] Along, A. A., Orboc, D. R. F., & Calagui, L. B. (2024). Floristic inventory, diversity, and community structure of the riparian and coastal sand dune landscapes in the lower Padsan River Basin, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Journal of Ecosystem Science and Eco-Governance, 6(1), 20–33. https://doi.org/10.54610/jeseg.v6i1.85

[2] Laoag City Government. (n.d.). Sand dunes.https://laoagcity.gov.ph/tourism/places_of_interest/sanddunes.html

✍️Caption and Content by Ryne Acosta
🧑‍🎨Layout by Ben Dumlao

📍Next stop: MONTALBAN GORGE -- Part of the Pamitinan Protected Landscape at the foot of the Sierra Madre, a limestone formation carved out by millions of years of fluvial forces.

This ecotourism spot continues to be shaped by active tectonics and fluvial erosion, making it an important area for the study of geological processes 🌏✨




[1] Anne, T. (2025). Sustainable resort-related tourism growth: Identifying challenges and opportunities in Montalban, Rizal. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship. https://doi.org/10.35912/JOSTE.V3I4.1499

‌[2] Hilario, J., Se, E., Garcia, J., Jacob, J., Almonte, D., Rafael, M., & Almonte. (2017). BIOGEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS IN RELATION TO WATER QUALITY OF WAWA DAM, RIZAL, PHILIPPINES. MATTER: International Journal of Science and Technology, 3, 415–432. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2017.32.415432
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[3] Virtucio, L. T. (2025). National Committee on Geological Sciences Homepage - Monuments (Montalban Gorge). Tripod.com. https://ncgs.tripod.com/wawa.html

✍️Caption and Content by Abby Abrio
🧑‍🎨Layout by Ben Dumlao

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? 🤔

✈️ Take a flight with us here at GEAR, this International Geomorphology Week, let’s celebrate our 7 National Geological Monuments:

🌋 Taal Volcano
⛰️ Montalban Gorge
🪨 Biri Rock Formation
🏜️ Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes
🗻 & our Karst Monuments (Chocolate Hills, Hundred Islands, St Paul Limestone Formation)!

🧳📍First stop: TAAL VOLCANO —One of the most well-known active volcanoes in the country surrounded with ridges and craters of history. This complex volcanic landscape has over 40 identified cones and craters and is also an important biodiversity hotspot home to many endemic species.





References:

[1] Global Volcanism Program, 2025. St. Helens (321050) in [Database] Volcanoes of the World (v. 5.3.4; 30 Dec 2025). Distributed by Smithsonian Institution, compiled by Venzke, E. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.VOTW5-2025.5.3

[2] Japan International Cooperation Agency. (2012). Preparatory survey for Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) project: Draft final report (EIA). Republic of the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways.https://libportal.jica.go.jp/library/Public/files/environment/EIA-EPC/SoutheastAsia/PhilippinesCLEProject/20120427_CALAX_DFR.pdf

[3] UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2023). The historic towns and landscape of Taal Volcano and its Caldera Lake. UNESCO Tentative Lists. https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6714/

[4] UPRI (2025). Taal: Volcanoes of the Philippines (NOAH Open File Reports). Distributed by the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, compiled by Julian Marie Bernice M. Grageda & Audrei Anne B. Ybañez. ISSN 2362 7409.

✍️Caption and Content by Ines Divinagracia
🧑‍🎨Layout by Ben Dumlao

Hello everyone! Welcome to the new page for the Geomorphology and Active Tectonics Laboratory of UP NIGS.