18 earthquakes detected in Taal Volcano in past 24 hours
Taal Volcano. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHIELA TAN
LUCENA CITY — At least 18 volcanic earthquakes were detected over the last 24 hours in Taal Volcano in Batangas province, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on Wednesday morning, April 9.
The earthquakes were accompanied by one volcanic tremor that lasted three minutes, Phivolcs said in its bulletin.
On April 6 and 7, no tremors were detected in the volcano. On April 5, the volcano logged one earthquake and two events the day before.
Phivolcs defines volcanic earthquakes as those “generated by magmatic processes or magma-related processes beneath or near an active volcano.”
“Unlike tectonic earthquakes that are produced by faulting, volcanic earthquakes are directly produced by many processes and are therefore much more varied in characteristics,” the agency explained.
Volcanic tremor, on the other hand, is “continuous seismic signals with regular or irregular oscillations and low frequencies (typically 0.5–5 Hz) that can last for more than a minute.”
In its latest update, the agency also recorded a “weak emission of 1,030 metric tons (MT) of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from Taal’s main crater, which rose 600 meters high before drifting in a southwest direction.”
During the observation period, no upwelling of hot volcanic fluids was observed in the Main Crater Lake, locally known as Pulo, which lies at the center of Taal Lake.
No “vog” (volcanic smog) was also reported.
Taal Volcano is still under alert level 1 (low level of volcanic unrest), Phivolcs said.
It said these developments “should not be interpreted to have ceased unrest nor ceased the threat of eruptive activity.”
