171 volcanic quakes recorded at Taal in last 24 hours — Phivolcs

A screenshot of a drone video provided by Phivolcs showing the upswelling of the crater lake of Taal Volcano.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Tuesday that it recorded 171 volcanic earthquakes in Taal Volcano in the last 24 hours, indicating the volcano’s continued unrest.

According to Phivolcs’ latest Taal advisory, 157 of the total tremors had durations of one to 97 minutes, while 13 were low-frequency quakes and the other is a low-level background tremor that has persisted since July 7.

Phivolcs also recorded high levels of volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas emissions and steam-rich plumes that rose 1,500 meters from the Taal Main Crater before drifting southwest.

SO2 emission averaged 6,134 tons on July 12, said Phivolcs.

Meanwhile, magmatic unrest or Alert Level 3 is still in effect in Taal Volcano, meaning magma extruding from the volcano’s main crater could trigger an “explosive eruption.”

The alert level was raised after the volcano had a phreatomagmatic eruption on July 1.

Phivolcs reminded that Taal Volcano Island is a permanent danger zone, which means entry into the island as well as into the high-risk barangays in the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel is prohibited due to the hazards of pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami should strong eruptions occur.

“Phivolcs maintains its close monitoring of Taal Volcano and any new development will be communicated to all concerned stakeholders,” the agency said.

EDV