Planet Earth is made up of different things - air, water, plants, animals, soil, rocks, minerals, crude oil, and other fossil fuels. These things are called natural resources because they are not made by people; rather they are gathered from nature. Sunlight and wind are also natural resources. We use all these things to survive or satisfy our needs. The Philippines is considered rich in natural resources. We have fertile, arable lands, high diversity of plant and animals, extensive coastlines, and rich mineral deposits.
We have natural gas, coal, and geothermal energy. Wind and water are also harnessed for electricity generation. Hopefully, the knowledge and skills acquired in the lessons will help you value your responsibility as a productive citizen so that you can help prevent protected and vulnerable places from being mined, forests from being overcut, and natural resources like metals from ending up in a dumpsite. Water Resources and Biodiversity The Philippines boasts of many different kinds of natural water forms, such as bays, rivers, lakes, falls, gulfs, straits, and swamps.
Because it is made up of islands, the country's coastline (seashore) if laid end-to-end, would measure around 17. 5 thousand kilometers. And you know how we are proud of our coastlines! The bodies of water and its surrounding environment not only support the survival of diverse organisms for food but are also used for other economic activities. All these you learned in Araling Panlipunan. In the previous activity you identified two big bodies of water on the west and east side of the country: the Pacific Ocean in the east and south China Sea in the west (sometimes referred to as the West Philippine Sea).
These bodies of water are the origin of typhoons which on the average, according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), is about 20 a year. Typhoons and the monsoons (amihan andhabagat) bring lots of rain to the Philippines. What is your association with too much rainfall? For some, rain and typhoons result in flooding, landslides, and health related-problems. But water is one of nature’s gifts to us. People need fresh water for many purposes. We use water for domestic purposes, for irrigation, and for industries.
We need water to generate electricity. We use water for recreation or its aesthetic value. Many resorts are located near springs, waterfalls or lakes. Where does water in your community come from? You collect them when the rain falls or get them from the river, deep well, or spring. But where does water from rivers, lakes, and springs originate? They come from a watershed – an area of land on a slope which drains its water into a stream and its tributaries (small streams that supply water to a main stream). This is the reason why a watershed is sometimes called a catchment area or drainage basin.
It includes the surface of the land and the underground rock formation drained by the stream. From an aerial view, drainage patterns in a watershed resemble a network similar to the branching pattern of a tree. Tributaries, similar to twigs and small branches, flow into streams, the main branch of the tree. Streams eventually empty into a large river comparable to the trunk. Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. They cross towns and provinces. In other parts of the world, they may cross national boundaries. There are many watersheds in the Philippines basically because we have abundant rainfall. Do you know that Mt.
Apo in Davao-Cotabato, Makiling-Banahaw in Laguna and Quezon, and Tiwi in Albay are watersheds? You must have heard about La Mesa Dam in Metro Manila, Pantabangan Dam in Pampanga, and Angat Dam in Bulacan. These watersheds are sources of water of many communities in the area. The Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan City is in a watershed; it is used to generate electricity. Locate these places in your map. Ask elders where the watershed is in or near your area? Observe it is used in your community. But watersheds are not just about water. A single watershed may include combination of forest, grassland, marshes, and other habitats.
Diverse organisms in the Philippines are found in these areas! Being a tropical country, the Philippines has abundant rainfall, many bodies of water, and lots of sunshine. The right temperature and abundant rainfall explain partly why our country is considered to be a mega-diverse country. This means that we have high diversity of plants and animals, both on land and in water (Philippine Clearing House Mechanism Website, 2012). Reports show that in many islands of the Philippine archipelago, there is a high number of endemic plants and animals (endemic means found only in the Philippines).
The country hosts more than 52,177 described species of which more than half is found nowhere else in the world. They say that on a per unit area basis, the Philippines shelters more diversity of life than any other country on the planet. For now remember that the main function of a watershed is the production of a continuous water supply that would maintain the lifeforms within it and in the area fed by its stream. Later you will learn that besides supporting the survival of varied life forms, abundant water in the country is important in moderating temperature.
This topic will be discussed later. Soil Resources, Rainfall and Temperature Recall in elementary school science that soil is formed when rocks and other materials near the Earth’s surface are broken down by a number of processes collectively called weathering. You learned two types of weathering: the mechanical breaking of rocks or physical weathering, and the chemical decay of rocks or chemical weathering. Soil covers the entire Earth. Temperature, rainfall, chemical changes, and biological action act together to continuously form soil.
Climate, expressed as both temperature and rainfall effects, is often considered the most powerful soil-forming factor. Temperature controls how fast chemical reactions occur. Many reactions proceed more quickly as temperature increases. Warm-region soils are normally more developed or more mature than cold-region soils. Mature soils have more silt and clay on or near the surface. Thus, soils in the tropical areas are observed to sustain various farming activities and account for why the primary source of livelihood in the Philippines and other countries in the tropical region is their fertile land.
What is the effect of very little rainfall on food production? Climate (temperature and rainfall) is a significant factor not only in soil formation but also in sustaining diversity of plants and animals in the country. On the other hand, water also directly affects the movement of soluble soil nutrients from the top soil to deep under the ground (leaching). These nutrients may no longer be available to shallow rooted plants. Acidic rainwater may also contribute to the loss of minerals in soil resulting in low yield. So rainfall determines the kind of vegetation in an area.
In turn, the degree of vegetation cover, especially in sloping areas, determines how much soil is removed. Are there ways to protect soil resources? The mining of rocks for their metal content has been considered one of the most important factors of human progress. The mining industry has raised levels of economy in some regions, in part because of the kind of metals available from the rocks in those areas. The important metallic minerals found in various parts of the Philippines include gold, copper, iron, chromite (made up of chromium, iron, and other metals), nickel, cobalt, and platinum.
The most productive copper and gold producers in the Philippines are found in Baguio, the province of Benguet, and in Surigao-Davao areas. Major producers of nickel are in Palawan and Surigao (DENR Website, 2012). Metals are important. The properties of metals make them useful for specific purposes. You learned these in Quarter 1. Iron is the main material for steel bars used in buildings and road construction. Copper is used in making electrical wires. Tin is the material for milk cans and other preserved food products. Nickel is mixed with copper or other metals to form stainless cooking wares.
Gold is important in making jewelry. world, 3rd in gold reserves, 4th in copper, and 5th in nickel! The ores (mineral-bearing rocks) are processed out of the country to recover the pure metal. We buy the pure metal. Is this practice advantageous to the Philippines? Why or why not? The richness of the Philippines in terms of mineral resources is being attributed to its location in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.. This area is associated with over 450 volcanoes (small triangles in the map) and is home to approximately 75% of the world's active volcanoes. Why are there minerals where there are volcanoes?
Geologists (scientists who study the Earth and the processes that occur in and on it) explain that there is a continuous source of heat deep under the Earth; this melts rocks and other materials (link to usgs website) The mixture of molten or semi-molten materials is called magma. Because magma is hotter and lighter than the surrounding rocks, it rises, melting some of the rocks it passes on the way. If the magma finds a way to the surface, it will erupt as lava. Lava flow is observed in erupting volcanoes. But the rising magma does not always reach the surface to erupt.
Instead, it may slowly cool and harden beneath the volcano and form different kinds of igneous rocks. Under favourable temperature and pressure conditions, the metal-containing rocks continuously melt and redeposit, eventually forming rich-mineral veins. Though originally scattered in very small amounts in magma, the metals are concentrated when magma convectively moves and circulates ore-bearing liquids and gases. This is the reason why metallic minerals deposits such as copper, gold, silver, lead, and zinc are associated with magmas found deep within the roots of extinct volcanoes.
And as you saw in the maps, volcanoes are always near trenches and faults! You will learn more of this later. For now you must have realized that the presence of mineral deposits in the Philippines is not by accident. It is nature’s gift. If before, your association with volcanoes and trenches is danger and risk to life and property, now you know that the presence of volcanoes, trenches and other geological structures is the reason for the rich mineral deposits in the country. The existence of volcanoes also explains why the Philippines is rich in geothermal energy (heat from the Earth).
Energy resources will be discussed in the next section. Energy Resources The abundance of some metal resources in the Philippines is related to geologic structures, specifically the presence of volcanoes and trenches in the country. The year-round warm temperature and availability of water are effects of our geographic location. The tropical climate and the geological conditions also provide several possibilities to get clean and cheap energy. Do you know which energy resources are due to these factors?
Were the following included in your list- solar energy, heat from the ground (geothermal energy), hydrothermal energy from falling water), wind energy, and natural gas? Solar energy is free and inexhaustible. This energy source will be discussed in a later science subject. Geothermal energy was briefly introduced in the lesson on mineral resources and their location. The Philippines ranked second to the United States in terms of geothermal energy deposits.
Geothermal power plants are located in Banahaw-Makiling, Laguna, Tiwi in Albay, Bacman in Sorsogon, Palimpinon in Negros Occidental, Tongonan in Leyte, and Mt. Apo side of Cotabato. Try to locate places with geothermal power plants in your map? Does your area have geothermal energy deposits? How do you know? Hydrothermal or hydroelectric power plants use water to generate electricity. They provide for 27% of total electricity production in the country. Ambuklao in Benguet, Mt Province, Agus in Lanao del Sur and Agus in Lanao del Norte are large hydrothermal power plants. Small hydroelectric power plants are in Caliraya, Laguna, Magat in Isabela, Loboc in Bohol, and other places. Used water from hydropower plants flows through irrigation systems.
Many of the reservoir areas are used for sport activities. Again, locate places with hydroelectric power plants in your map? Does your area have hydroelectric power plants? What other uses do you have for water in these areas? Natural gas is a form of fossil fuel, so are coal and crude oil (sometimes called petroleum). Fossil fuels were formed from plants and animals that lived on Earth millions of years ago. They are buried deep in the Earth. Natural gas and oil are taken from the deep through oil rigs while coal is extracted through mining.
Fossil fuels are used to produce electricity and run vehicles and factory machines. Did you know that petroleum is the raw material for making plastics? In the Philippines, we have coal and natural gas deposits. Coal is a black or brownish black, solid rock that can be burned. It contains about 40% non-combustible components, thus a source of air pollution when used as fuel. Coal deposits are scattered over the Philippines but the largest deposit is located in Semirara Island, Antique. Coal mines are also located in Cebu, Zamboanga Sibuguey, Albay, Surigao, and Negros Provinces.
Our natural gas deposits are found offshore of Palawan. Do you know where this place is? The Malampaya Deepwater Gas-to-Power Project employs ‘state-of-the-art deepwater technology’ to draw natural gas from deep beneath Philippine waters. The gas fuels three natural gas-fired power stations to provide 40-45% of Luzon's powergeneration requirements. The Department of Energy reports that since October 2001, the Philippines has been importing less petroleum for electricity generation, providing the country foreign-exchange savings and energy security from this clean fuel.
Natural gas is considered clean fuel because when burned, it produces the least carbon dioxide, among fossil fuels. CO2 is naturally present in air in small amounts. However, studies show that increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere results in increase in atmospheric temperature, globally. You will learn about global warming in the next module. Did you know that in Ilocos Province, giant wind mills as shown in Figure 5 of this module are used to generate electricity. In Quirino, Ilocos Sur the electricity generated from wind mills runs a motorized sugarcane press for the community's muscovado sugar production?
This project is a joint effort between the local farmers and local organizations with support from Japan. In Bangui, Ilocos Norte, the windmills as high as 50 meters not only help improve the tourism in Ilocos but it also provides 40% of the energy requirements for electricity in the entire province. This proves that we do not have to be dependent on fossil fuel in our country. What do you think are the environmental conditions in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte that allow them to use wind power for electricity? Do you think there are places that have these conditions?.
