When the Earth Gave Birth
Surigao’s Fiery Origins
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When the Earth Gave Birth – Surigao’s Fiery Origins
When the Earth Gave Birth – Surigao’s Fiery Origins
8 August 2025 Feature | Surigao Historical Society | Local History
Fifty million years ago, long before the first settlers carved trails through its forests or the first Spanish ship reached its shores, Surigao was already writing its story. Not in words or songs, but in the collisions of tectonic plates, the roar of volcanoes, and the upward thrust of mountains from the ocean floor. The Surigao we know today was born from fire and fury.
Geologists, including those cited by renowned historian William Henry Scott, believe that the Philippine Trench was formed when the seabed violently collapsed due to subduction. In its wake, it gave rise to a long and narrow mountain range hugging the eastern edges of the archipelago. Surigao sits precisely on this volatile rim, making it one of the most geologically restless provinces in the country.
The consequences of this explosive birth are not just locked beneath the earth. They rise as rugged ridges, ripple as river currents, and manifest in mineral riches. Surigao's mountains and islands—including Bayagnan—are remnants of these geological upheavals, islands born from the ocean's depths. Today, Bayagnan remains a silent witness to this origin story.
It was to this island that Jesuit priest and scientist Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez journeyed in April 1887 aboard the sailing ship Aeolus. Best remembered as the former mentor of Dr. Jose Rizal, Fr. Sanchez was on a different mission this time—a scientific expedition. Friars in Surigao had reported strange creatures and unclassified specimens in the area. Intrigued, Fr. Sanchez set up base in the dense forests of Bayagnan to catalog rare fauna and volcanic remnants.
His notes, fragmentary yet fascinating, describe not only the presence of volcanic cinders and ash layers but also the bizarre and unexplored wildlife that thrived in this isolated environment. While many of these specimens were never formally named or preserved, their documentation hints at a biodiverse past shaped by geological instability and seclusion.
The province’s location near the Philippine Trench—particularly the Galatea Deep off the coast of Siargao—adds another layer to its story. This abyss, once believed to be the deepest known spot on Earth before the Mariana Trench, remains a symbol of Surigao's proximity to nature's most extreme forces. It is a reminder that beneath Surigao’s serene beaches and quiet hills lies a seething world of motion and memory.
In a way, the earth's long memory is etched into every cliffside, every cave, and every quake that rattles this land. Surigao is not merely a province with a history. It is a living artifact of the planet's dramatic transformation—a place where geology and history are inseparably fused.
Five Questions to Spark Your Curiosity
Five Questions to Spark Your Curiosity
What secrets might still lie buried beneath Bayagnan Island?
How did Surigao's volcanic past shape its biodiversity?
What did Fr. Sanchez actually discover in his 1887 expedition?
Could Surigao be home to other undocumented geological wonders?
How do Surigao’s mountains and rivers continue to reflect its fiery origins today?
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