Kanlaon Volcano unrest: 5 ash emissions, 12 quakes logged in 24 hrs
FILE PHOTO: Volcanic plumes — a mixture of hot volcanic particles, water vapor, and other gases — are released into the atmosphere during the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon or Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island at 3:03 p.m. on Monday, December 9, 2024. SCREENGRAB FROM PHILIPPINE INSTITUTE OF VOLCANOLOGY AND SEISMOLOGY VIDEO
MANILA, Philippines — Kanlaon Volcano continued to show unrest as it registered five ash emission events and 12 quakes in the last 24 hours.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in its latest 24-hour monitoring report that the ash emissions lasted between eight and 56 minutes, generating moderate plumes up to 300 meters tall that drifted westward.
The Kanlaon Volcano, or Mt. Kanlaon, located on Negros Island, also belched 4,114.9 tons of sulfur dioxide between midnight Monday and midnight Tuesday.
Phivolcs said Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3, signifying intensified or magmatic disturbance. Phivolcs recommended evacuation from the 6-kilometer radius of the volcano’s summit and strongly advised any aircraft against flying near it.
READ: Phivolcs: Kanlaon Volcano showing signs of another eruption
Under Alert Level 3, the volcano may have or produce:
- Sudden explosive eruptions
- Lava flows
- Ash fall
- Pyroclastic density currents
- Rockfalls
- Lahars during heavy rainfall
The state volcanologist previously warned the public of “an abrupt increase in Mt. Kanlaon’s ground deformation,” which could result in another sudden eruption like the one that happened on December 9 last year.
READ: Thousands evacuated as Mt. Kanlaon erupts anew
“The overall parameters may indicate that the shallow magma conduit of the volcano is undergoing pressurization that may lead to an eruption,” Phivolcs said in a January 14 advisory.
Phivolcs likewise reported that the Kanlaon Volcano Network has observed “pronounced inflation or swelling” in the middle to upper portion of the volcano’s eastern edifice since the evening of January 10.
