Musuan Peak or Mount Musuan, also known as Mount Calayo, literally "Fire Mountain," is an active volcano on the island of Mindanao, Philippines. It is 4.5 kilometers south of the city of Valencia, province of Bukidnon, and 81 km southeast of Cagayan de Oro City. Musuan is a lava dome and tuff cone with an elevation of 646 meters asl, and a base diameter of 3 km.

Eruptions

Musuan is one of several active volcanos in the Philippines, which are all part of the Pacific ring of fire. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reports that Musuan erupted in 1866 and 1867, but the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program records another eruption, possibly phreatic, that "burned everything around it." The explosion supposedly occurred four years before the 1891 visit of a Jesuit priest, who reported that he could not examine the volcano more closely because of strong solfataric activity. A strong seismic swarm occurred near Musuan in 1976, and again around mid 2011.

Flora

Mount Musuan's northern slope is still covered by a primary rainforest. The rest is covered predominantly by Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica). Reforestation efforts on the bare areas, both in tree-planting drives and by Central Mindanao University personnel, have established temporary forests of Acacia mangium and conifers.

There are 524 species of plants in Mt. Musuan under 353 genera and 135 families. 301 species are trees, 51 shrubs, 50 grasses and sedges, 46 herbs, 42 vines, 31 ferns, and 3 fern allies. 188 species (35%) are economically important, 128 species (24%) are endemic, and 3 (1%) are endangered species. Musuan peak has approximately 6,354 individual trees. The most common tree species (in density and frequency) are the Mallotus multiglandulosus (Kamala tree) and Colona serratifolia, followed by Clausena brevistyla and Alstonia scholaris (Blackboard tree). Three species of pteridophytes are locally threatened: Marsilea crenata ("apat-apat"), Ceratopteris thalictroides ("pakung-sungay"), and Lycopodiella cernua (clubmoss). 10 species of pteridophytes are endemic to the area.

A view of Musuan Peak from the surrounding rice fields at dawn. Part of the Central Mindanao University motorpool buildings are visible on the bottom left.

History and Infrastructure

Mt. Musuan's lack of any visible crater has led to some local skepticism of it being an active volcano. Still, the imagery evoked by its name variant 'Mount Calayo' (Fire Mountain) and the stories told by local Bukidnon tribesmen keeps people wary of the relatively small mountain which doesn't look like a volcano at all.

Valencia City is located North of the peak, the Central Mindanao University (CMU) and Barangay Dologon at the southwest, and the Pulangi River on the entire eastern side.

At the foot of Musuan Peak is the Mt. Musuan Zoological and Botanical Garden of the Central Mindanao University. It includes a butterfly greenhouse and a reforestation nursery among its buildings. The Sayre Highway and a research center of the Philippine Carabao Center are located on the western slopes. It has a tourist shop which sells dairy products made from carabao milk. South of the mountain are the university agricultural facilities including a cattle ranch, a poultry farm, greenhouses, and a dairy.

Due to its proximity to the university and the university town proper, it has become a popular destination for students, teachers, and tourists; either for picnics or a study of the flora and fauna of one of the few remnants of the jungles that once covered the valleys of the surrounding areas. From its isolated position in the middle of the valley and the very small surface area of its highest point (only a few meters), the entire countryside is visible from the top. Currently its slopes have been the target of extensive reforestation efforts partly paid for by the establishment of toll gates to hikers intending to go up the mountain.