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The Bicol River is the eighth largest river in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
in terms of
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
size with an estimated catchment area of . The river drains a large part of southwestern
Bicol Peninsula Bicol, known formally as the Bicol Region or colloquially as Bicolandia ( bcl, Rehiyon kan Bikol; Rinconada Bikol: ''Rehiyon ka Bikol''; Waray Sorsogon, Masbateño: ''Rehiyon san Bikol''; tl, Rehiyon ng Bikol), is an administrative region of ...
of the island of Luzon and passes through
Camarines Sur Camarines Sur ( bcl, Habagatan na Camarines; tl, Timog Camarines), officially the Province of Camarines Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its capital is Pili and the province borders Camarines Norte and ...
province. The river starts from
Lake Bato Lake Bato is a freshwater lake and the 7th largest in the Philippines. It is located in the town of Bato, approximately southwest of Iriga City, Camarines Sur Province, southeastern Luzon, Philippines. It has extensive marshes and swamp forests. ...
, above sea level, and flows downstream to its
estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
mouth at
San Miguel Bay In the Murillo Velarde Map of 1734 this 'ensenada' 'inlet' was called 'Ensenada de Naga' 'Naga Bay'. In a latter Velarde/Bagay Map 1744-49, it was simply attached to name of the town at mouth of the bay, Siruma. San Miguel Bay is a large bay in t ...
. It passes through Naga City, the alluvial and coastal plains of the vast Bicol Valley, an elongated, northwesterly trending depression in the Bicol Region, which contains alluvial plains to the coastal plain. Average slope within the river's drainage basin is 0.006%. The basin has an influence area of including its drainage basin. It lies between 13°0 to 14°N and 123°0 and 124°0 E. It is extensively a coastal
flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
.


Geology and geomorphology

The Bicol River is bounded on the northeast by the
Bicol Cordillera Bikol or Bicol usually refers to: *Bicol Region, the administrative region in the Philippines Bikol or Bicol may also refer to: Languages and people *Bikol languages, the languages spoken in the Bicol region in the Philippines **Albay Bikol lang ...
, which consists of a chain of
volcanic mountain A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...
s including
Mount Iriga Mount Iriga, also known as Mount Asog, is an active stratovolcano in the province of Camarines Sur, in the Philippines. It is a stratovolcano about a kilometer from Lake Buhi. It rises with a base diameter of . It has a large crater formed ...
,
Mount Malinao Mount Malinao is a potentially active stratovolcano located in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. The volcano displays strong fumarolic activity which is harnessed for generating electricity. Located on its slope is Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant ...
,
Mount Masaraga Mount Masaraga is a stratovolcano located in Ligao City in the province of Albay, in the Bicol region, on Luzon Island, in the Philippines. Physical features Mount Masaraga is a forested, sharp-topped, mountain with an elevation of asl. It is ...
and
Mount Mayon Mayon ( bcl, Bulkan Mayon; tl, Bulkang Mayon, ), also known as Mount Mayon and Mayon Volcano ( es, Monte Mayón, Volcán Mayón), is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay in Bicol, Philippines. A popular tourist spot, it is renown ...
. On the southwestern side lie the
Ragay Hills Ragay, officially the Municipality of Ragay ( bcl, Banwaan kan Ragay; tl, Bayan ng Ragay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 59,770 people. Ragay is f ...
, which consists of folded and faulted sedimentary formations including
limestones Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms when th ...
,
siltstones Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility.Blatt ''et al.'' 1980, p ...
, conglomerates and
shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...
. In between these higher areas lies the Bicol plain, which is composed of thick
alluvial deposits Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
of sand silt and
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
. The main geo-morphological features found in the area include the
estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
plain, a river flood plain, the piedmont plain and the valleys of incised creeks. The estuarine plain is level to nearly level and consists of fine fluvial-marine deposits over sandy layers with marine shells. The fluvial marine deposits are usually saline at depths of approximately and includes depresses areas along the Bicol River. The river floodplain is made up of mixed alluvium. The piedmont plain on the fringe of the
Ragay Hills Ragay, officially the Municipality of Ragay ( bcl, Banwaan kan Ragay; tl, Bayan ng Ragay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 59,770 people. Ragay is f ...
consists of fine alluvium clay and reworked
colluvium Colluvium (also colluvial material or colluvial soil) is a general name for loose, unconsolidated sediments that have been deposited at the base of hillslopes by either rainwash, sheetwash, slow continuous downslope creep, or a variable combinatio ...
s.


Climate

The climate is influenced by the Northeast Monsoon winds and the
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
trade winds. These
Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
winds create the
low pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...
in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in
tropical cyclones A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dependi ...
that affect the area in November and December.
Rainfall Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
occurs throughout the year with low rainfall between January to May and high rainfall between June and December. In the lower basin, mean annual rainfall ranges between . The main factors influencing rainfall are the
air stream The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
s, the
intertropical convergence zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...
and
topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
. The mean temperatures are high throughout the year with the daily mean temperatures in the range of and an annual mean temperature of .


Crossings

This is listed from mouth to source. # Malbong Hanging Bridge (
Gainza, Camarines Sur Gainza, officially the Municipality of Gainza ( bcl, Banwaan kan Gainza; tl, Bayan ng Gainza), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 11,584 people. Gainza ...
) # Old Mabolo Bridge (Felix Plazo Street,
Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
Milaor Milaor, officially the Municipality of Milaor ( bcl, Banwaan kan Milaor; tl, Bayan ng Milaor), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,963 people. Milaor ...
boundary) # Unnamed Philippine National Railways bridge,
Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
Milaor Milaor, officially the Municipality of Milaor ( bcl, Banwaan kan Milaor; tl, Bayan ng Milaor), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,963 people. Milaor ...
boundary # Mabolo Bridge (,
Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
Milaor Milaor, officially the Municipality of Milaor ( bcl, Banwaan kan Milaor; tl, Bayan ng Milaor), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,963 people. Milaor ...
boundary) # FVR Bridge I (
Milaor, Camarines Sur Milaor, officially the Municipality of Milaor ( bcl, Banwaan kan Milaor; tl, Bayan ng Milaor), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,963 people. Milaor ...
) # Unnamed bridge in
Bula, Camarines Sur Bula, officially the Municipality of Bula (Rinconada Bikol: ''Banwaān ka Bula''; Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Bula''), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 73,14 ...
# Sto. Domingo Bridge (Nabua–Balatan Road,
Nabua, Camarines Sur Nabua, officially the Municipality of Nabua (Rinconada Bikol: ''Banwāan ka Nabua''; Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Nabua''), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8 ...
)


References

{{Principal Rivers of the Philippines Rivers of the Philippines