Bud Dajo

About

Bud Dajo (Tausug: Būd Dahu, Monte Dajó), is a cinder cone and the second highest point (+600m) in Sulu, a province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago. It is one of the cinder cones that make up the island of Jolo and part of the Jolo Volcanic Group. The extinct volcano is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southeast from the town of Jolo in Sulu. The mountain and adjacent lands were declared as Mount Dajo National Park in 1938. It is a sacred mountain for the locals, and the Tausug people at-large, as well as nearby ethnic groups. The cinder cone has an elevation of 620 metres (2, 030 ft) with a base diameter of 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi). On the summit of the mountain is 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) crater that is breached to the southwest. The other volcanic edifices adjacent to Bud Dajo are: Matanding, located northeast of the Bud Dajo with an elevation of 400 metres (1, 300 ft) asl; Guimba, east and elevation of 482 metres (1, 581 ft) asl; and Sungal, southeast which is 518 metres (1, 699 ft) asl., dangerous volcano. The basaltic volcanic cone is part of Zamboanga-Sulu volcanic arc. Two volcanoes falsely attributed to the eruption on January 4, 1641, which engulfed southern Philippines in darkness. Further studies later found the eruption to have come from Mount Melibengoy in Cotabato. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami on September 21, 1897, that devastated the Southern Philippines was believed to be from a submarine eruption therefore excludes Bud Dajo. A short-term monitoring (seismic and visuals) surveys were conducted by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in 1993 and in 1997 on the mountain. No unusual activities were observed within the vicinity of the volcano.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.