250 ; The Philippine Journal of Science 1922 
at this locality the evidence seems to favor the theory expressed 
by Davis that—* 
The existence of earlier formed reefs at lower levels, now drowned, 
is highly probable on many of the Philippine Islands; for the absence of 
strong cliffs on headlands of their embayed shores indicated the presence 
of protecting reefs while the coasts were suffering erosion before their 
recent subsidence; thus, all the more does the absence of an extensive system 
of offshore barrier reefs, which should have grown up from the preexistent 
reefs during a slow subsidence, indicate that subsidence was more rapid 
than reef upgrowth. Moreover, the submarine platforms ‘that border some 
of the islands are best explained as submerged and more or less aggraded 
reef plains, on the outer margin of which new barrier reefs have failed to 
reach the present surface because of rapid and recent subsidence; indeed, 
some of the platforms have no sign of upgrowing marginal reefs, and these 
must have been submerged with unusual rapidity at a very recent date. 
Elsewhere Davis states :° 
On the other hand, the northeastern coast of Samar, on the opposite 
side of the archipelago from Palawan, has a moderately sinuous shore line 
with delta flats that diminish the initial size of its bays, and fringing reefs 
that reach forward a mile or so from its points; here the latest submergence 
cannot be so recent as that of Palawan. But instead of being benched by 
a submerged platform, the sea bottom off shore from Samar sinks rapidly 
to a great depth. 
As opposed to the theory of subsidence, Doctor Dickerson be- 
lieves that Davis’s conclusions were drawn too largely from the 
study of Palawan, and that it is possible for uplifts, instead of 
subsidence, to explain many, but not all, of these features. Dick- 
erson says, in a personal communication: 
Professor Davis’ largely deductive studies based upon Coast and Geo- 
detic Survey maps of the Philippine Islands are exceedingly suggestive and 
interesting. However, the Philippines have had a far more complicated 
history. Many of the islands have been uplifted independently of one an- 
other. Thus, studies on the northwest peninsula of Leyte indicate 4 
highly complicated set of movements during the Pleistocene. Coralline 
limestone of probably Pleistocene age is frequently difficult to distinguish 
from similar limestone of Malumbang Pliocene age. In places, this 
Pleistocene limestone attains a possible thickness of 200 to 300 feet. At 
Rabin Point, northwest cape of Leyte, there are at least four terraces at 
approximate elevations of 15 feet, 100 feet, 200 feet, and 350 to 400 feet. 
When one traverses the terraces in the vicinity of Jubay, a small barrio 
on the west side of this peninsula, 2 kilometers south of Rabin Point, 
nothing but coralline limestone is observed. The top of the 200-f00% 
terrace 2 kilometers south of Jubay is exceedingly even and is 3 to 4 kilo- 
*Davis, W. M., Subsidence of reef-encircled islands, Bull. Geol. Soc- 
America 29 (1918) 517. 
*Davis, W. M., Fringing reefs of the Philippine Islands, Proc. Nat. 
Acad. Sci. 4 (1918) 199. 
