This March 9, 2021, photo shows the Taal Volcano in Batangas province. Known as one of the most active volcanoes in the country, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recently placed Taal on alert level 2 – more than a year after its last phreatic eruption in January 2020. Photo grabbed from Jan Escosio’s video of Radyo Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has detected 51 earthquakes in its monitoring of the Taal Volcano in the past 24 hours and retained alert level 2 on one of the country’s most active volcanoes.
According to Phivolcs’ latest bulletin on Wednesday morning, 41 of the recorded shaking are “episodes of volcanic tremor having durations of one to four minutes.”
“Activity at the Main Crater consisted of weak emission of steam-laden plumes from fumarolic vents that rose 5 meters high,” it added.
Phivolcs also said temperature highs of 71.8 degree Celsius and pH of 1.59 were measured from the main crater lake on March 4 and February 12, respectively.
It added that “ground deformation parameters from electronic tilt, continuous GPS (Global Positioning System) and InSAR (Interferometric synthetic aperture radar) data analysis indicated a very slow and steady inflation and expansion of the Taal region since after the January 2020 eruption.”
Alert level 2, which means “increased unrest,” is still in effect over Taal Volcano, Phivolcs noted.
Under alert level 2, sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within the Taal Volcano Island (TVI), according to Phivolcs.
“DOST-PHIVOLCS strongly recommends that entry into TVI, Taal’s Permanent Danger Zone or PDZ, especially the vicinities of the Main Crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, must remain strictly prohibited,” it said.
Phivolcs likewsie advised local government units to continuously assess and strengthen the preparedness of previously evacuated barangays around Taal Lake in case of renewed unrest.
State volcanologists raised the status of Taal Volcano to alert level 2 more than a year after its last phreatic eruption in January 2020.