14/08/2025
Tourist Spot Alert:
THE CATHEDRAL-LIKE INTERIOR OF BANGAG CAVE: HOW IT MIGHT FORMED
📌 Bangag, Lal-lo, Cagayan
Bangag Cave in Lal-lo resembles a cathedral due to a combination of geological processes and visual phenomena that mimic the architectural features of Gothic and Romanesque churches.
With its high, domed ceilings, spacious chambers, and layered walls that evoke the interiors of grand cathedrals, the cave was primarily formed through a process called "karstification". This process, which occurs over thousands to millions of years, involves the chemical dissolution of soluble rock—most often limestone (apog).
The ceiling of Bangag Cave is a textbook example of solutional cave formation. Its wavy, rippled, and bumpy textures are the result of water slowly dissolving the rock over long periods of time. The cracks and fissures (birri) visible on the ceiling mark the pathways where water once seeped through, gradually widening into channels over time.
The cave’s soaring ceilings are the result of continuous dissolution and erosion, often aided by the powerful underground water accumulating and flowing through Bangag Cave. Over time, ceilings can become even higher due to collapses (panagreggaay). As the rock weakens from dissolution, large sections of the ceiling or walls can fall, further enlarging the chambers and creating irregular shapes. Evidence of this can be seen in the fractured, blocky appearance of the cave’s walls and ceilings.
The stratified, brick-like walls are a direct reflection of how the rock itself was formed. These distinct layers, or strata, were once horizontal beds of sediment that were compressed on top of each other and cemented together over millions of years. Weakly acidic water later seeped into the ground, following the bedding planes (nagsaepan)—the natural weak points between layers—dissolving the rock along these lines. This process carved out the cave’s passages and exposed the stratified (kamada), brick-like structure we see today.
Color variations on the ceiling and walls—ranging from light tan to deep brown with black or reddish-brown streaks—are caused by mineral staining. As water flows through the rock, it carries minerals such as manganese and iron, which are deposited on the cave’s surfaces when the water evaporates. This creates the dark, streaked patterns seen throughout the cave.
The water inside the cave comes from rainwater seepage. As rainwater absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and soil, it becomes slightly acidic and percolates (sagepsep) through cracks and fissures in the limestone. Since the water has no direct outlet, it accumulates in the cave’s lower areas, forming what appears to be a subterranean river. It has very few noticeable spelothems or cave formations such as large stalactites, stalagmites, columns or flowstones.
Now, are you not amazed how nature asserts itself as the best architect of all time?
---
Thanks to my guide Aguinaldo Verdadero Lordeo.
My 31st cave. Keep exploring. Explore LASAM, Cagayan
Cagayan Tourism
Jenifer Trinidad Junio
