X, A, 5 Pratt and Lednicky: Iron Ore in Surigao 345 



Table IV. — Quantity of ore in poor area. 



Average depth (meters). 



Quantity. 



Cubic me- 

 ters. 



Metric tons. 



1.5 



61, 800, 000 

 18. 500, 000 

 30, 900. 000 



123, 600, 000 

 37,000,000 

 61, 800, 000 



4.5 - -- 



7.5 _ 



Total 



111,200,000 



222,400,000 





If it be assumed that only areas over which the average depth 

 is 3 meters or more will prove valuable, the available tonnage in 

 the poor area becomes 160,600,000. Again, if our belief that 

 30 per cent of the poor area is too remote and too heavily 

 forested to repay exploitation is correct, the total available 

 tonnage over the poor area is 155,680,000, of which 112,420,000 

 tons form a layer of 3 meters or more in thickness. 



In summary, the total iron-ore reserves in the Surigao de- 

 posit amount to approximately 500,000,000 metric tons. Of 

 this total quantity about 430,000,000 tons are fairly accessible for 

 mining, although by no means conveniently situated, and 

 373,000,000 tons are contained in that portion of the ore mantle 

 which is 3 meters or more in thickness. On the flat-topped 

 barren hills which border the coast there are 275,000,000 tons 

 of ore. This ore is comparatively accessible, but is divided into 

 a number of separate areas. That portion of it which is 3 

 meters or more in thickness amounts to 260,000,000 tons. Fi- 

 nally, from Dahikan Bay, which offers natural harbor facilities, 

 two blocks of ore could be exploited containing an aggregate 

 tonnage of 138,000,000, with 130,000,000 tons forming a deposit 

 3 meters or more in thickness. However, even from this most 

 favorable base the bulk of the ore must be brought down to sea 

 level from the tops of hills, ranging in elevation from 200 to 400 

 meters. 



COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OP THE DEPOSIT 



The Surigao iron ores constitute a natural resource which 

 will probably be more valuable in the future than it is to-day. 

 At present the demand for iron and steel in the Philippines is 

 not sufficient to justify the large-scale operations which would 

 be necessary for the proper exploitation of the Surigao deposits. 

 An ore which is richer in iron is available at Mambulao, Cama- 

 rines, in adequate quantity and under conditions just as favor- 

 able as the conditions which obtain in Surigao. Yet no success 



