ENVIRONMENT: Mineral Resources

Mineral Resources and Reserves

The municipality is endowed with abundant deposits of marble, hence marble quarrying became one of its industries, but mining and quarrying is a no-no to residents especially those living within the area of Duyong, Luhod-Bayang and Patria.

Guano is also abundant in the many caves in the municipality but production of fertilizer along this line offers very little business potentials.

Type And Location Of Mineral Deposits

Metallic minerals are those having a brilliant appearance, quite opaque to light and usually give a black or a very dark streak and of which manganese is one. This mineral resource is present in Barangays Patria, Luhod-Bayang, Tingib, Sto. Rosario and Sta. Ana.

Other minerals found in the area are gold, silver and calcium carbonate.

Environmental Impacts Of Mining

The stripping of vegetation, permanent alteration of terrain, the disruption of hydrologic regime in which reducing the drainage capacity of the river system due to mining induced-erosion, the discharging of mine tailings and wastes consequently resulting to water pollution are among the foremost environmental destruction brought about by mineral extraction. Further, it affects surface water bodies thus disrupting the agri-economic-based settlement. Likewise, it produces some serious industrial emergencies leading to death incidence attributed to cave-ins and methane gas explosions.