The Zambales Mountains is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

on western

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

island 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 ...

. The mountains separate Luzon's central

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

from the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...

. Its most prominent section is known as the Cabusilan Mountain Range composed of Mount Pinatubo, Mount Negron and Mount Cuadrado, which are believed to be remnants of the ancestral Pinatubo peak. The highest elevation in the Zambales Mountains is Mount Tapulao, also known as High Peak, in

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

which rises to .

Extent

The Zambales Mountains has an area of extending North to South from the mountains of western

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its cap ...

province, the whole length of Zambales, to tip of the

Bataan Peninsula Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the enti ...

in the south enclosing

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between t ...

.Smith, Warren D. (1913)
"Journal of Geology, Vol. 21 – The Geology of Luzon, P.I."
pp. 39–40. University of Chicago, Department of Geology. The mountain range also encompasses the mountains in the municipalities of

Bamban Bamban, officially the Municipality of Bamban ( pam, Balen ning Bamban; fil, Bayan ng Bamban), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,260 people. The municipali ...

, Capas, San Jose, San Clemente, Mayantoc,

Santa Ignacia Santa Ignacia, officially the Municipality of Santa Ignacia ( pag, Baley na Santa Ignacia; ilo, Ili ti Santa Ignacia; tl, Bayan ng Santa Ignacia), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. Santa Ignacia has a total la ...

, Camiling in the province of

Tarlac Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac ( pam, Lalawigan ning Tarlac; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Tarlac; ilo, Probinsia ti Tarlac; tgl, Lalawigan ng Tarlac; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. It ...

. In

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

, it includes the mountains in Floridablanca, Porac, Lubao, Angeles City and

Mabalacat Mabalacat, officially the City of Mabalacat ( pam, Lakanbalen ning Mabalacat; fil, Lungsod ng Mabalacat), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 293,244 peopl ...

Geology

The Zambales Mountains include

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

ophiolite massifs, overlain by more recent sedimentary formation, including the Cagaluan Formation and the Santa Cruz Formation.

Volcanoes

Although the mountains are volcanic in origin, Mount Pinatubo is the only active volcano in the mountain range. Its eruption on June 15, 1991 was the second most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. The volcanic eruption, which was complicated by the arrival of Typhoon Yunya, covered the region with thick

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...

and

lahar A lahar (, from jv, ꦮ꧀ꦭꦲꦂ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. Lahars are extr ...

including the U.S. military base at

Clark Field Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

near Angeles City. Other volcanoes in Zambales Mountains are

Mount Mariveles Mount Mariveles is a dormant stratovolcano and the highest point in the province of Bataan in the Philippines. Mariveles and the adjacent Mount Natib comprise 80.9 percent of the total land area of the province.Redpen (2008-01-24)"Bataan Mountain ...

, Mount Natib and

Mount Samat Mount Samat () is a mountain in the town of Pilar, Bataan, Philippines. Located near its summit is the Mount Samat National Shrine, a national shrine dedicated to the fallen Filipino and American fallen during World War II. Geology Mount Samat ...

Protected areas

* Bataan National Park *

Manleluag Spring Protected Landscape The Manleluag Spring Protected Landscape is a protected area containing natural hot springs in the Ilocos Region of the Philippines. It is one of 34 protected landscapes in the Philippines located in the municipality of Mangatarem, Pangasinan in t ...

Roosevelt Protected Landscape The Roosevelt Protected Landscape, also known as ''Roosevelt Park'', is a protected area in the Central Luzon region in the Philippines. It occupies an area of of grasslands and old-growth forest in northern Bataan province near Olongapo and the ...

Peaks

Zambales Mountains list of highest peaks by elevation

* Mount Tapulao *

Mount Iba Mount Iba is the second-tallest mountain in the Zambales Mountains and the highest point in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. It is located in municipality of San Jose, Tarlac. With an elevation of , between Mount Tapulao (2,037m) and Mount Ne ...

5,430 ft (1,655 m) * Mount Negron * Mount Pinatubo *

* Mount Cuadrado * Mount McDonald * Mount Natib * Mount Limay * Mount Dorst *

* Mount Gates

River System

List of rivers in Zambales Mountains by length. *

Tarlac River The Tarlac River is a river in Central Luzon Philippines, it is the longest tributary of the Agno River with a total length of covering a drainage area of traversing the provinces of Tarlac and Pangasinan. The river originates around the vicini ...

* Camiling River * Bucao River * Santo Tomas River

References

{{Commons category Mountain ranges of the Philippines Landforms of Zambales