Pocdol Mountains
Also known as: Pocdol volcanic belt · Manito–Bacon volcanic range · Pocdol Hills
Definition
The Pocdol Mountains are a volcanic mountain group straddling the boundary between the towns of Manito in Albay and Bacon (now part of Sorsogon City) in Sorsogon province, Philippines. Classified by PHIVOLCS as a potentially active volcanic system, the range is dotted with fumarolic and hot-spring manifestations and is closely associated with the Bacon–Manito (BacMan) geothermal field.
Identities (Wikipedia/Wikidata/DBpedia)
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocdol_Mountains
- Wikidata: Q2100109
- DBpedia: http://dbpedia.org/resource/Pocdol_Mountains
Also Known As
- Pocdol volcanic belt
- Manito–Bacon volcanic range
- Pocdol Hills
Examples and Analogies
The Pocdols are to the Bacon–Manito area what the Tiwi field is to Mount Malinao’s flank: a quietly steaming volcanic highland whose underground heat was tapped for geothermal power. Unlike Mayon nearby, they erupt no perfect cone, instead forming a cluster of forested volcanic domes and hills.
Usage Scenarios
The range’s geothermal resources feed the BacMan power plants that supply electricity to the Bicol grid. Hot springs on its slopes are used for bathing and small-scale tourism, while its forests and slopes support farming communities in Manito and Sorsogon City’s upland barangays.
Strategies
Energy developers and government geoscientists manage the geothermal field through reservoir monitoring, steam-field maintenance, and reforestation of watershed areas. Local strategies pair geothermal livelihood benefits with tourism promotion of the hot springs.
Security and Safety Measures
PHIVOLCS monitors the volcanic group’s fumarolic activity and includes it in hazard-awareness programs for surrounding towns. Geothermal operators maintain exclusion zones around production wells, and hot-spring visitors are cautioned about scalding surface waters.
Historical Context
The Pocdols belong to the Bicol volcanic arc, the chain of volcanoes generated by subduction along the Philippine Trench side of the region. Exploratory drilling in the 1980s and 1990s confirmed their geothermal potential, making the range one of several Philippine volcanoes repurposed from hazard into energy resource.
Challenges and Controversies
Geothermal development has at times raised disputes over land use, benefit-sharing with host communities, and induced seismicity concerns near steam fields. Forest loss on the range’s slopes from kaingin farming also threatens the watershed that feeds both springs and settlements.