Mount Macolod (other spelling: Maculot) is a flank dormant stratovolcano of Taal Volcano located in the municipality of Cuenca, Batangas in the Philippines. Popular with mountain climbers and campers, it is the main tourist attraction of Cuenca.
The mountain is sacred to both Christians and Anitists. Every year on Holy Week, thousands of pilgrims from nearby towns and provinces climb the mountain as a form of penance.
Geography The mountain is about tall and is also located adjacent to Taal Lake. Mount Macolod and its high volcanic rock wall called The Rockies are said to be part of Taal Caldera's crater rim. It is likely a pre caldera cone of the Taal volcanic system.
Geological history Based on studies on Taal, it is believed that the caldera was formed by buildup of large volume dacitic to andesitic pyroclastic materials. Several major catastrophic eruptions probably between 670,000 and 6,000 years ago caused the collapse of the Taal Caldera. This caldera was filled by water, thus forming a flooded caldera system. Withoos, Yannick (2022). A study of the stratigraphy, lithofacies and geochemistry of Taal Caldera Volcano, Philippines, and its implications for the understanding of flooded caldera volcanoes (PhD thesis). University of Leicester. doi:10.25392/leicester.data.20342964.v1. The younger Volcano Island was formed by numerous explosive hydrovolcanic eruptions in the middle of the lake after the collapse.
The slopes of the previous volcano now formed ridges surrounding the lake. Mount Macolod is not only a volcanic cone on the south side but also the highest caldera rim of the former Taal Cone. Tagaytay Ridge, to the north, is the northern rim of the caldera with Mount Sungay its highest elevation.
Gallery
See also List of mountains in the Philippines
References
External links Hiking Mount Macolod on YouTube