Taal Volcano as seen from Tagaytay City. - Courtesy of Jillian Dumas/ PDI
LUCENA CITY: Taal Volcano in Batangas province has shown an increase in sulfur dioxide emissions, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on Friday (May 23).
In its 24-hour observation, Phivolcs said the volcano emitted 4,049 metric tonnes of sulfur dioxide on Thursday, more than the 2,285 tons it released the day before.
The volcano also emitted plumes reaching 1,200 meters high that drifted southwest.
The Phivolcs classified the latest spewing activity as “moderate emission.”
However, there were no reports of upwelling hot volcanic fluids in the main crater lake of Taal Volcano Island (TVI), which sits in the middle of Taal Lake.
Taal Volcano also recorded renewed seismic activity, logging 16 volcanic earthquakes and 3 volcanic tremors that lasted two to three minutes during the observation period.
On Wednesday, the agency also detected 13 earthquakes and seven tremors.
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 tremors, on the other hand, are “continuous seismic signals with regular or irregular oscillations and low frequencies (typically 0.5–5 Hz) that can last for more than a minute.”
According to Phivolcs, Taal Volcano is still on alert level 1, or a low level of volcanic unrest.
The agency reminded the public that the volcano remains in an “abnormal condition,” and this situation “should not be interpreted to have ceased unrest nor ceased the threat of eruptive activity.” - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
