General Features

Based on Background Information section and Geology section of the Technical Reports on the Mines and
Geosciences Bureau’s (MGB) 1:10,000 Scale Geohazards (landslide and flood) Mapping and Assessment
of Province of Abra, the Abra province is located at the western flank of the Central Cordillera Mountain
Range, which is generally characterized by rugged terrain with deeply incised valleys and sharp elongate
ridges.

Tectonics

The Cordillera arc is tectonically related to the subduction of the West Philippine Sea oceanic crust into
the Manila Trench located west of Luzon island. Moreover, the Central Cordillera is affected by the
Philippine Fault, an active left-lateral strike-slip fault that horsetails along a north-south direction which
resulted in several branching out of the fault. One fault splay, the Abra River Fault, is so called as it directly
affects and controls the Abra River. The left-lateral interaction of these major fault splays produces pull-
apart faults expressed as east-northeast – west-southwest faults in the blocks. This would explain the two
dominant preferred orientations of ridges and streams.

Topography

This province can be divided into at least three (3) general physiographic terrains. The first is the Abra
River Basin wherein Abra River and its basin is a structurally-controlled channel draining the foothills of
the Central Cordillera. The downstream portions of the river generally drain in a southwestern direction.
The trace of the river in Pidigan is exhibit being lithologically controlled, as bends somewhat follow the
linear contours of bedded sedimentary rocks. While in the upstream, the river diverges northwards to
Dolores, San Juan and La Paz towns and southwards to Bucay, Sal-lapadan, Manabo and Luba, this
bifurcation is the result of the river being structurally-controlled by the Abra River Fault, a major branch
of the left-lateral Philippine Fault. Abra River is characterized by irregular floodplains that widens to as
much as 4-5 km, but constricts where there is a confluence of linear structures and ridges. Second is the
Abra Foothills, these are relatively low-lying and topographically rolling areas surrounding the Abra River.
The north-south trending ridges appear to be structurally(fault)-controlled causing the (left-lateral)
displacement of the Abra River in the vicinity of Pidigan-Bangued. Part of the Abra Foothills are trough-
like sub-basin or topographic low near the ridges, also north-south trending, encompassing the towns of
Pilar, San Isidro and Sal-lapadan wherein elevations in these do not exceed 300 meters. A ridge, which
ascends from peaks of 200m in the north to summits of 800m elevation, separates this sub-basin from
the Abra River Basin. Third and last is the Abra Highlands which elevations and topography immediately
become more emphasized compared to the Abra Foothills. Structural controlled streams and ridges are
more evident, with two dominant orientations, (1) north-south or (2) east-northeast-west-southwest.
Elevations reach as much as 1,800m, with steep slopes and narrow & steep gullies.

Geology

(1) The oldest/basement rocks in the province are Cretaceous-Paleogene rocks which this rock unit which
are widely spread, this unit consist of faulted and folded altered basalt-spillite, andesite-keratopyre,
dacite and diabase and are locally intercalated with the relatively thick sequences of slightly altered
conglomerate-graywacke-shale sequence (sedimentary rocks), with intercalated marble lenses (of K-Pg
age). (2) Bordering and overlying the basement rocks at the central portion of the province are faulted
and gently folded strata of Early to Middle Miocene age, this clastic sedimentary rock formation were
derived from Cretaceous-Paleogene rocks. Isolated areas of limestone unconformably overlying the
basement rock unit. (3) The Neogene diorite complex is laterally disposed in a NE-SW orientation and
intruded the Cretaceous-Paleogene basement rocks and early to middle Miocene sedimentary rocks.
Smaller diorite bodies believed to be apophysal extensions of deeper diorite plutons; this plutonic
complex consists principally of granodiorite, quartz diorite, hornblende diorite, pyroxene diorite, with
some gabbroic phases and related andesite-dacite porphyries. The hydrothermally altered quartz diorite
is mineralized and silicified outcrops are impregnated with pyrite, chalcopyrite and bornite. (4) The Upper
Miocene Rocks sedimentary sequence, which overlies the older formations discussed above, is
represented by poorly sorted conglomerate with inter-beds of sandstone and shale. Pebble and boulder
clasts are of diorite, limestone and altered volcanic rock fragments. This formation is exposed along the
west-central flank of the province bordering the vast flood plains of Abra River. (5) Younger rock unit of
Pliocene-Pleistocene age is outcropping in the west-northwest of the province in which this rock unit is
comprised of shallow marine and sub terrestrial sediments associated with extensive reef limestone and
terrace gravel deposits. (6) Group of rocks of volcanic origin represented by several coned shaped plugs
of andesitic to dacitic composition and of Quaternary age which are disposed mainly along fractures. This
rocks are characterized usually by porphyritic, fine to medium – grained, and gray to green, peripheral
zone of the volcanic plugs which commonly shows felsitic texture. This group of rocks is sporadically
located at the western part of the province. (7) Lastly, is the Recent alluvial deposits are made up mainly
of unconsolidated fluvial sediment, gravel and sand found along river beds, valleys and flood plains.
Terrace gravel deposits are prevalent along river courses and consist of poorly sorted, loosely cemented,
un-compacted sand and boulder materials with occasional thin lenses of crudely bedded sandy and silty
layers.