Phivolcs: 104 quakes at Kanlaon Volcano in last 24 hours

Mount Kanlaon on Negros Island in the Visayas (Image from Google Maps)

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 104 volcano-tectonic earthquakes were recorded at Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Occidental over a 24-hour period, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Tuesday.

Phivolcs said one earthquake at 5:07 a.m. Monday was recorded at magnitude 3 and felt at Intensity II in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.

The agency also said it observed “weak emission of white steam-laden plumes” that rose up to 300 meters before drifting northwest and southeast.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2), a gas component of magma, was measured at an average of 438 tons per day on June 13, it said.

Slight deflation of the volcano’s lower and mid slopes was also observed since April 2020.

“These parameters indicate that hydrothermal or magmatic activity is occurring beneath the edifice,” Phivolcs explained.

Meanwhile, it reminded that Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 1, which means that it is at an “abnormal condition and has entered a period of unrest.”

The public and the local government units are reminded that entry into the volcano’s four-kilometer permanent danger zone is strictly prohibited.

On Monday, Phivolcs recorded 136 volcano-tectonic earthquakes at Kanlaon Volcano.

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