X, A, 5 Pratt and Lednicky: Iron Ore in Surigao 337 



PHYSIOGRAPHY 



The iron-ore deposit covers a region which attains only 

 moderate elevations, but is of sharp relief. Mount Legaspi, 

 elevation 1,170 meters, is the highest point included within the 

 boundaries of the iron-covered territory. Other peaks near the 

 western edge of the deposit are as high as from 500 to 700 

 meters. The region slopes from Mount Legaspi eastward and 

 northward to the coast, but the slope is by no means regular or 

 continuous. The country is deeply incised; even the smaller 

 streams flow through deep and precipitous valleys. This is a 

 result of the exceedingly heavy rainfall between the months of 

 October and March. The weather-recording station at the town 

 of Surigao shows an average annual rainfall of over 3,000 milli- 

 meters, most of which occurs during the above-stated months. 

 The hills rise abruptly from the coast, and much of the coast 

 line is marked by sea cliffs. The outline of the coast is fairly 

 regular, but is broken by several prominent points and bays. 



Only two rivers of any size flow across the iron-ore deposits. 

 One of them, flowing north, discharges its waters into the sea at 

 the barrio of Taganito; the other drains the eastern flank of 

 Mount Legaspi and flows to the south, reaching the sea at 

 Carrascal. Either of these rivers could probably be made to 

 yield a fair amount of water power, but no data are available 

 on their volumes. 



VEGETATION 



One of the most remarkable features of the ore deposit is the 

 unusual character of the vegetation covering it. Near the coast 

 and over most of the area of the deposit the ground is largely 

 bare, with scattered clumps of brush or shrubs and occasional 

 patches of weedlike ferns. Everywhere, however, there is evi- 

 dence of a former forest growth in the decaying trunks of fallen 

 or even standing trees. These dead trees were as large on the 

 average as those one finds growing in the normal forests at 

 present. The trunks are almost invariably charred by fire, and 

 charred resins are found very commonly over the ground surface. 

 We suspect that the deposit was originally covered by a heavy 

 forest which has been removed by fire within comparatively 

 recent time. Toward the interior the vegetation gradually as- 

 sumes the character of the surrounding forested region. In the 

 western part of the deposit, where the forest is heavy, we thought 

 at first that the ore was of lower grade. It had gradually 

 changed in color from a deep red at the coast to a yellowish 

 brown at the western limit of the deposit, the change correspond- 



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