CAVITE ECOLOGICAL PROFILE 2021:

Geophysical Environment

The area with a slope of 18-30%, rolling to moderately Landforms

steep comprises the portions of the City of Dasmariñas,
Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Tagaytay City, Alfonso, Magallanes, According to the National Geographic Society, landforms
Maragondon, Silang, and Ternate where crop production is are features on the Earth’s surface that are part of the
the main economic activity. terrain. The four major types of landforms are mountains,
hills, plateaus, and plains. Buttes, canyons, valleys, and
The area with a 30-50% slope comprises the portion of basins are considered minor types of landforms.
Tagaytay City, Magallanes, Maragondon, Silang, and
Ternate. These areas are for pasture and perennial trees The Philippines, fondly called the “Pearl of the Orient”, has
or those that live for more than two years. a diverse environment, well known for its different
landforms. Some of it can be found in the province of
Lastly, on the south-western tip with 50% and above slope Cavite.
are Tagaytay City, Alfonso, Maragondon, and Ternate.
These areas are the province's forest areas, which can be The province of Cavite has its share of the mesmerizing
used for recreational activities like hiking and beauty of nature that every Filipino can enjoy. Pico de Loro,
mountaineering. It also serves as a place for research also known as the Parrot’s Beak, is one of the most popular
studies for students and researchers. mountains in the Philippines. The wide plains of Cavite, the
West Philippine Sea, and the coves and beaches of
Areas with slopes ranging from 0-3% to 8-18% categories Nasugbu can be seen at the peak due to its elevation of
are utilized for commercial, industrial, and tourism 688 meters. Mt. Pico de Loro is part of the Mt. Palay-Palay-
purposes. However, some houses and buildings are built in Mataas-na-Gulod Protected Landscape, the remaining
locations with more than 18-30% slope for vacation, lowland rainforest in Cavite, covering particularly
retreat, or training purposes Maragondon and Ternate, and Batangas. Mount Marami,
one of the ancient volcanic features of Bataan Arc, Mount
Geology Buntis, and Mount Nagpatong, home to Andres Bonifacio
Shrine and claim to be the execution site of the said hero,
The geology or the geologic features of the province is
are other notable mountains in Cavite. Another peak in
described by the materials the earth is made of, the
Cavite is Mt. Sungay (Mt. Gonzales) in Tagaytay. The
structure of those materials and the processes acting upon
inactive stratovolcano is the highest point in Cavite at 709
them. This sub-chapter made special emphasis on the
meters.
physical geology of the province and takes a closer look at
the features of the earth and the processes acting on them
such as, but not limited to the presence of volcanoes,
earthquakes, rocks, mountains, oceans, and just about any
present feature within its territorial jurisdiction.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau identified a total of six

geologic units present in the province (Map 2.4). Taal Tuff
is situated in the central portion of the province while the
northern portion of the province going towards Metro
Manila is underlain by the Diliman Tuff, an upper member
of the Guadalupe Formation.

From the hilly areas to the south of the province, which

includes the ridges of Ternate and Maragondon, and the
portions of Magallanes, the Lobo Agglomerate is present. Lucsuhin National Bridge
Lobo Agglomerate is now considered part of the upper
horizon of the Pinamucan Formation. Another notable landform in Cavite is the Lucsuhin National
Bridge, locally called Cabag Cave or Lucsuhin Cave, which
Mataas na Gulod Volcanic Complex underlies the portions is a national bridge connecting Barangay Lucsuhin and
of the mountainous area to the west of the province, Barangay Kalubkob in Silang, Cavite. The bridge crosses
including the mountains of Palay-Palay and Mataas na the Ylang-ylang River and is the first national bridge
Gulod. Some portions of the mountainous parts of reported in the country.
Maragondon and Magallanes are underlain by Talahib
Andesite. Talahib Andesite is considered to be equivalent Soils and Land Capability Classes
to the Nasugbu Volcanic Complex, rocks named from the
exposures observed in the Looc lead-silver-antimony mine Identification of soil characteristics, most importantly, the
at Looc, nasugbu, Batangas. soil type is instrumental in recommending the best land use
for that area. Moreover, if intended for agriculture,
Quaternary Alluvium, the youngest geologic unit in the knowing the soil type will help identify the most suitable
province, is observed to be abundant in the coastal areas, crops to be planted in the area. It will contribute to the
alluvial plains, and portions of the flat-lying areas in the achievement of optimized land productivity.
province.

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Map 2.4 Geologic Map, Province of Cavite

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 CAVITE ECOLOGICAL PROFILE 2021:
Geophysical Environment

Map 2.5 Soil Description Map, Province of Cavite

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The soil surveys conducted by the Bureau of Soils and Land Suitability
Water Management (BSWM) revealed that Cavite is
composed of 10 soil types. The lowland area of Cavite is Land suitability is the fitness of a given type of land for a
generally composed of Guadalupe clay and clay loam. defined use. The process of land suitability classification is
Guadalupe clay and clay loam are coarse and granular the appraisal and grouping of specific areas of land
when dry but sticky and plastic when wet. Its substratum concerning their suitability for defined uses.
is solid volcanic tuff. These soil types are suited to lowland
Land suitability secondary assessment is derived from
rice and corn; those in the upland are suited for orchards
comparing pre-determined suitability criteria for each of
and pasture.
the foreseeable forms of land use with the land resources
Guadalupe clay adobes are abundant in the southern part inventory data.
of the Cities of Bacoor and Imus, bordering the City of
Forestry plantations:
Dasmariñas. The soil is hard and compact and challenging
➢ slope of less than 30% and the limitations of terrain or
to cultivate, thus making it generally unsuitable for diverse
rock should be less severe
cropping. It is very sticky when wet and granular when dry.
➢ no serious erosion hazard irrigated rice/freshwater
Forage grass is advised for this type of soil.
fishponds:
Hydrosol and Obando sand are found along Bacoor Bay. o slopes of less than 3% up to 8% if terraced
The shoreline of Rosario, Tanza, Naic, and Ternate are o low soil permeability
lined with Guadalupe sand. o no significant limitation of rock, erosion, soil depth,
etc.
The central area principally consists of Magallanes loam o the presence of problem soil downgrades the
with streaks of Magallanes clay loam of sandy texture. It is suitability but is not necessarily limiting
recommended for diversified farming, such as the
cultivation of upland rice, corn, sugarcane, vegetables, Cultivated annual crops:
coconut, coffee, mangoes, and other fruit trees. The steep ➢ no significant existing erosion (or a low soil erodibility)
phase should be forested or planted to root crops. ➢ slopes of less than 8% (benchmark of erosion hazard)
Cavite's eastern side consists of Carmona clay loam with ➢ adequate soil depth (750 centimeters)
streaks of Carmona clay loam steep phase and Carmona ➢ no flooding or poor drainage
sandy clay loam. This type of soil is granular with ➢ no problem soil
tuffaceous material and concretions. It is hard and ➢ no serious limitations of terrain or rock
compact when dry, sticky and plastic when wet. This soil is
planted with rice with irrigation or sugarcane without Perennial trees and vine crops:
irrigation. Fruit trees such as mango, avocado, and citrus ➢ as for cultivated annual crops, but can be placed on
more erodible slopes, a slope of 18 percent may be
are also grown in this type of soil.
allowable
Guingua fine sandy loam is found along the lower part of Pastures:
the Malabon and Ylang-ylang Rivers at Noveleta. ➢ no serious existing soil erosion
➢ slopes of less than 18%, if the land is erodible
The type of soils that dominate the upland areas is
➢ slopes of less than 50%, if the land is stable
Tagaytay loam and Tagaytay sandy loam with mountain
➢ no serious limitations of terrain
soil undifferentiated found on the south-eastern side
bordering Laguna province. The land suitability information was from the Land
On the southern tip of the province, Magallanes clay and Management Unit (LMU) map from the Bureau of Soils and
Mountain soil undifferentiated with an interlacing of Water Management (BSWM). This information will be used
Magallanes clay loam steep phase exist. to determine whether the present land use is in
congruence with the suitability of the land for that use
The Tagaytay loam contains fine sandy materials, is (Table 2.3).
moderately friable and is easy to work on when moist. In
an undisturbed condition, it bakes and becomes hard when The majority of Cavite’s area is for highly restricted
dry. agricultural use. The lowland areas covering the cities of
Imus, Bacoor, and General Trias, and portions of the
About one-half of this soil type is devoted to upland rice
municipalities of Tanza, Naic, and Rosario are primarily
and upland crops. On the other hand, Tagaytay sandy loam
suitable for irrigated rice/freshwater fishponds. The
is friable and granular, with a considerable amount of
central part of the Province, covering mainly the city of
volcanic sand and underlain by adobe clay. Mountain soil
Dasmariñas, large portions of Tanza, Naic, Gen. Aguinaldo,
undifferentiated is forested with bamboo found on the sea
and Trece Martires City are primarily suitable for cultivated
coast. Cavite also has the Patungan sand characterized by
annual crops. Cavite’s upland area covering the
pale gray to almost white sand with a substratum of marine
municipalities of Silang, Amadeo, Indang, Alfonso,
conglomerates. It is at Sta. Mercedes in Maragondon and
Magallanes, and a small portion of Gen. Aguinaldo and
some coastlines of Ternate.
Maragondon and the City of Tagaytay is principally suitable
for perennial tree and vine crop production.

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