Taal Volcano logs 55 earthquakes, 19 tremors in 5 days
LUCENA CITY—Taal Volcano in Batangas province recorded 55 volcanic earthquakes and 19 volcanic tremors for the past five days, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
In its Sunday morning bulletin, Phivolcs said the volcano logged 10 earthquakes accompanied by two volcanic tremors lasting one to two minutes within the last 24 hours.
On April 11, the agency detected seven volcanic earthquakes along with five volcanic tremors that lasted three to eight minutes during its observation period.
On April 10, Phivolcs reported that eight volcanic tremors that lasted two to four minutes also occurred.
On April 9, Taal recorded 20 volcanic earthquakes, accompanied by two volcanic tremors that lasted one to two minutes while another 18 volcanic earthquakes were detected, along with one volcanic tremor that lasted three minutes, on April 8.
As of Sunday, the volcano remained under alert level 1, indicating abnormal activity. But Phivolcs stressed that the alert level did not signify the cessation of unrest or the threat of eruptive activity.
“[Under] alert level 1, sudden steam-driven or phreatic or minor phreatomagmatic eruptions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within TVI (Taal Volcano Island),” the agency said.
The agency clarified that volcanic earthquakes originate from active volcanoes and exhibit distinct patterns characterized by their “mode of arrivals, periods and amplitudes.”
Volcanic tremors, on the other hand, are continuous seismic signals with either regular or irregular wave patterns and low frequencies.
‘Weak emission’
During the observation period on Saturday, Phivolcs noted the emission of 1,074 metric tons of sulfur dioxide from Taal Volcano’s main crater, with plumes rising up to 400 meters high.
Phivolcs classified the latest activity as a “weak emission.”
There were no reports of upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the main crater lake on TVI located in the middle of Taal Lake.
No volcanic smog, or vog, was observed during the latest monitoring period.
Taal Volcano, which sits in the middle of Taal Lake in the province of Batangas, is the second most active volcano in the country with 38 recorded historical eruptions. The most active volcano in the Philippines is Mayon Volcano in Albay province, with over 50 recorded eruptions in the past 500 years.
