Taal Volcano logs 5 tremors in past 24 hours
LUCENA CITY – Taal Volcano in Batangas province recorded five tremors over the last 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on Saturday.
In its bulletin, the state volcanologist said the volcanic tremors lasted from five to seven minutes.
On Friday, Phivolcs also detected two tremors that lasted two to eight minutes.
Volcanic tremors are “continuous seismic signals with regular or irregular sine wave appearance and low frequencies.”
In its latest update, Phivolcs reported the emission of 3,964 metric tons (MT) of sulfur dioxide, which rose 900 meters tall.
However, despite the “moderate emission,” the state volcanologist did not observe an “upwelling of hot volcanic fluids” in the Main Crater Lake.
No volcanic smog, or “vog,” was also observed during the latest monitoring period.
The last sign of unrest in Taal Volcano was on Dec. 3 when it experienced a minor phreatomagmatic eruption that lasted four minutes.
The eruption produced a grayish plume that rose 2,800 meters above Taal Volcano Island (TVI), locally known as “Pulo,” which sits in the middle of Taal lake.
Traces of ashfall were also observed in Barangay Poblacion in Agoncillo town and Barangay Buso-Buso in Laurel town, prompting local officials to enjoin residents to wear masks.
Phivolcs said the phreatomagmatic event was likely caused by the sudden contact of water with a shallow batch of magma that has been degassing sulfur dioxide for the past three years.
Taal Volcano is still under alert level 1 (low level of volcanic unrest), Phivolcs said.
The agency reminded the public that Taal Volcano remained in an “abnormal condition” and “should not be interpreted to have ceased unrest nor ceased the threat of eruptive activity.”
