Stratigraphic Profile Complexity in Cave Sites of Biak-na-Bato National Park in Bulacan, Main Island of Luzon and the LiDAR Detection Approach for Post-Excavation Analysis

Edilberto D. Larin, Jr.1*, Armand Salvador Mijares2, Yvonne Gilla Cruz3, Raphael Dela Cruz3, Shemmie Marie Aguinaldo1, Nicole Kaye Nicolas Center1, and John Rick Ignacio1

The Bulacan Archaeology Initiatives (BAI), led by Dr. Armand Mijares and the Center for Bulacan Studies, Bulacan State University, has been running for nine years and has identified seven archaeological cave sites, three of these have already undergone excavation in 2017, 2018 and 2024. The Tanggapan cave provided the first archaeological date in Bulacan linked to Philippine prehistory. In Munsayac cave, a modified animal bone used as a fishhook was recorded, associating the finds with the way of life along rivers in Luzon. While in Isko cave, the first adze made from jasper was retrieved, confirming human effort in maximizing natural resources for long-term habitation. The contexts of these materials are significant, but the dynamic complexity of the stratigraphic profiles in the trenches in Biak-na-Bato caves remains a challenge, because the depositional process in a cave has multiple sources especially those that are found in extensive karst landscapes and adjacent upland reservoirs. Due to these geological and geographical conditions, an effective digitization approach using LiDAR is essential, as it produce high accuracy and resolution good for post-excavation analysis and comparison of these models with archaeological caves profiles.