Theories on the Origin of the Philippines

PAREF Woodrose School, Inc. Acacia Avenue Extension Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT History I THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF THE PHILIPPINES There are theories that support the origin of the Philippines: 1. Continental Drift Theory  it supports the claim of Alfred Wegener (1912) that two (2) continents drifted some 200 million years ago: Laurasia to the northern hemisphere and Gondwanaland to the southern hemisphere  the Philippines is believed to have been part of the continent Laurasia  according to Alfred Holmes (1944), the two continents drifted as a result of pressure caused by volcanic eruptions in the ridges and in the center of the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean  The Philippines sits on a sub-plate of the Eurasian Plate now called Philippine Plate 2. Pacific Theory  it supports the claim of Dr. Bailey Willis that the Philippines was formed due to eruptions of volcanoes in the periphery of the Pacific Basin of the Pacific Ocean as far as the eastern part of Asia continent  such eruption of underwater volcanoes is called volcanism  the eruptions of underwater volcanoes some 200 million years ago resulted in the piling up of extrusive or molten rocks causing the emergence of islands in the Pacific Ocean  the continuing process of volcanism formed the structural foundation of the Philippines 3. Asiatic Theory  according to this theory, the Philippines was not part of the continental shelf of Asia  it claims that two (2) processes of diastrophism namely, upfolding and upthrust faulting caused the rising (or emergence) and formation of the Philippine archipelago, and all mountains in the archipelago  this occurred during the Paleozoic Era some 200 million years ago 5. Land Bridges Theory  the formation of glacier in many parts of the world resulted in ice sheets to cover a great portion of North America, Europe and Asia  according to this theory, all the islands in the Philippines were connected to each other and that others were even connected to nearby countries in Southeast Asia by land bridges

 when the ice melted, the land bridges went underwater, separating the islands from each other and cutting the Philippines from the rest of Asia

PAREF Woodrose School, Inc. Acacia Avenue Extension Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT History I First Quarter SY 2009-2010 NAME___________________________________

YR. I ________

1 Period (July 3, 2009) TASK: After reading the hand-out “The Theories on the Origin of the Philippines”, answer the following questions: 1. Define the key concepts: (2 pts. each) a. Diastrophism b. Volcanism c. Upfolding d. Upthrust faulting e. Continental Shelf 2. Choose the theory that you find most credible. Justify your choice. (5 pts.) On-line Submission: July 3, 2009 Send to: for Yr. IAB: [email protected] for Yr. IC: [email protected]