Renato Solidum Jr. of Phivolcs. File photo / Joseph Vidal of Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — There is an “increasing possibility” that another phreatic eruption would occur in Taal Volcano similar to what happened in January 2020, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned on Wednesday.
This after Phivolcs monitored in the last 24 hours 69 tremor episodes caused by hydrothermal activity in Taal Volcano.
“Umakyat po iyong gas mula sa magma sa ilalim at ito iyong nagpapainit sa tubig sa ilalim ng Taal Volcano Island. At iyong tubig na iyan at iyong steam o gas ay kumikilos kaya maraming paglindol. Ito rin po ang nagdudulot ng pagpapainit sa Taal main crater lake at sa pagiging mas acidic nito,” Phivolcs director Renato Solidum explained in a televised briefing.
(The gas coming from the magma is rising from beneath and this heats up the water under the Taal Volcano Island. The water and the steam or gas moved beneath the surface that’s why there are many quakes. This also caused the heat on the Taal main crater lake and to become acidic.)
“So ito po iyong ating tinitingnan, tumataas po ang posibilidad na magkaroon ng phreatic eruption or explosion tulad po noong nangyari noong initial part ng January 12, 2020 activity ng Taal Volcano,” he added.
(This is what we are closely monitoring, there is an increasing possibility for another phreatic eruption or explosion like what happened on the initial part of Taal Volcano’s activity on January 12, 2020.)
Solidum noted that this will only affect the Taal Volcano island for now as he reiterated that entry to its danger zone must remain prohibited.
Residents of Taal Volcano island were evacuated on Tuesday following the volcano’s “slightly increased activity.”
In January last year, Taal Volcano spewed ash in a phreatic eruption which forced thousands of residents to evacuate.
The ash fall from the phreatic eruption also reached as far as Metro Manila and other nearby provinces.