Phivolcs: Slim probability of Taal Volcano caldera eruption

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Friday said the probability of an eruption of the Taal Volcano’s caldera is slim.

During a press conference, Phivolcs Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division chief Ma. Antonia Bornas first explained that Taal Volcano is not just an island.

“Kasama na po dito yung malaking caldera na kinabibilangan ng mga dalisdis sa harap ng Tagaytay, sa paligid ng bulkan. In fact ‘yung Taal Lake, nago-okupa ng Taal caldera, ‘yung parang bunganga ng bulkan,” Borna said.

(This also includes the big calderas that consist of slopes in front of Tagaytay, at the side of the volcano. In fact, the Taal Lake occupies the Taal caldera, that part that’s like the mouth of the volcano.)

A caldera, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), is defined as a “large basin-shaped volcanic depression with a diameter many times larger than included volcanic vents, and may range from two to 50 kilometers across.”

It is usually formed when magma is withdrawn or erupted from a shallow underground magma reservoir, the USGS added.

She added that the calderas’ repose periods are usually long, which could last up to “hundreds of thousands of years.”

“Sa Taal po kasi, isa lamang pong eruption ng Taal caldera ang meron pong datos. Yung mga older, mas matanda pa, ay wala pa po tayong alam sa kanila,” Bornas said

(In Taal, we only have one record of which the Taal caldera exploded. While those older, we don’t have any record yet.)

“Kaya po kung magkakaroon ng caldera eruption, hindi po yun pinagu-usapan sa mga ganitong klase ng bulkan dahil yung mga probabilities po na mag-activate sila ay napakaliit,” the Phivolcs official added. “Hindi po natin dapat ina-alarm ang ating mga kababayan na itong caldera ay puputok.”

(So if there will be a caldera eruption, we don’t talk about it in this types of volcanos because the probabilities of it being activated are slim. We should not alarm our fellowmen that the caldera will erupt.)

“Ang Taal po ay mula nang ilang libong taon na. Ang lahat po ng activity niya ay naka-concentrate po sa Taal Volcano Island.”

(The Taal is already thousands of years old. All the activities are only concentrated on the Taal Volcano Island.)

Phivolcs earlier said that steaming fissures were “newly observed” in the northern slopes of Taal Volcano Island. Other fissures that were observed in several barangays in Batangas were noticed to have widened by a few centimeters.

Edited by MUF