File photo of the Dec 9, 2024 eeruption of Kanlaon Volcano in the Philippines. Screengrab from Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology video via Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
MANILA: Kanlaon Volcano in the Philippines 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 on Jan 21 that the ash emissions lasted between eight and 56 minutes, generating moderate plumes up to 300 metres tall that drifted westward.
The Kanlaon Volcano, or Mt. Kanlaon, located on Negros Island, also belched 4,114.9 tons of sulfur dioxide during that time.
Phivolcs said Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3, signifying intensified or magmatic disturbance. Phivolcs recommended evacuation from the 6-kilometre radius of the volcano’s summit and strongly advised any aircraft against flying near it.
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.
“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. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
