Newsletter: UP Geologists Report Subsidence Rates in Select PH Metropolitan Cities

[THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE]

By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

Land subsidence, or the gradual sinking of the ground, threatens not only Metro Manila but also other cities.

Extreme damage running along the length of a road in Marilao, Bulacan is visible. (Photo credit: Sulapas et. al., 2024)

Excessive groundwater extraction, rapid urbanization, tectonic motion, and the natural compaction of sediments contribute to land subsidence worldwide. This issue is worsened by rising sea levels due to climate change, leading to frequent and severe flooding especially during high tides or typhoons, as well as local contexts of hazard management regulations.

Newsletter: UP Geologists Discover Evidence of Gas Hydrates in Manila Trench

[THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE]

By Harvey Sapigao

Gas hydrates are great alternative energy sources, but they could also harm us and the environment.

Bathymetric map of Luzon, including the Manila Trench, the North Luzon Trough (NLT), West Luzon Trough (WLT), Stewart Bank (SB), and Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB). (Photo credit: Maglalang et. al. 2023)

Much like carbonated drinks are water infused with carbon dioxide, gas hydrates are ice mostly infused with methane, a natural gas used as fuel. Gas hydrates are ice-like substances that usually only form beneath the seafloor, where the pressure is high and the temperature is just below the water’s freezing point of 0°C.

Newsletter: UP geologists sweep 2023 PRC Licensure Exam

[THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE]

All ten topnotchers of the Philippine Regulation Commission’s (PRC’s) recently-conducted annual Geologists Licensure Exam are from the UP Diliman College of Science National Institute of Geological Sciences (UPD-CS NIGS).