More Taal volcanic quakes recorded despite weaker eruptions

Aerial shot of Taal Volcano. Phivolcs and the NDDRMC, with Armed Forces of the Philippines and some reporters, flew on a Huey 2 helicopter for its first successful aerial inspection of the damage brought about by the Jan. 12 eruption of Taal Volcano. (Photo by CLIFFORD NUÑEZ)

MANILA, Philippines – More volcanic quakes were recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Sunday despite the general weaker eruptions of Taal Volcano.

In its latest bulletin, Phivolcs said it recorded 10 volcanic earthquakes from 5 a. m. to 4 p. m. on Sunday through the Philippine Seismic Network. One of these was felt at Intensity I.

In addition, 244 new volcanic quakes were recorded by the Taal Volcano Network, which are Phivolcs’ monitoring stations on the Volcano Island that can detect small earthquakes.

These earthquakes indicate that there is still magma intrusion beneath the volcano’s edifice that could lead to further eruptions.

Meanwhile, since 8 a. m., the volcano has been emitting generally weaker plumes that reached 300 to 500 meters high and drifted southwest.

As of 5 p. m. Sunday, the amount of sulfur dioxide being emitted by the volcano remained high at an average of 4,353 metric tons per day.

“Based on Pagasa wind forecast, if the eruption plume remains below five kilometers, ash will be drifted to the south and southwest of the Main Crater,” Phivolcs said. “However, if a major eruption occurs during the day and eruption column exceeds 5 kilometers, ash will also be drifted to the eastern and northeastern sectors and mall fall on portions of Batangas, Laguna, and Quezon.”

Taal Volcano remains at Alert Level 4, which means that despite the generally weaker activities on its main crater, an explosive eruption is still possible within hours to days.

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