LUCENA CITY: Taal Volcano’s main crater in Batangas emitted a voluminous steam-laden plume that rose 2,700m over the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on Tuesday (Sept 29).
In its morning bulletin, Phivolcs said the volcano released 160 metric tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), which it classified as a voluminous emission.
The height of the volcanic plumes fluctuated over the past several days, rising from 1,100m on Sept 20 to 1,200m the following day before dropping to 70m on Sept 22.
The plumes rose again to 1,800m on Sept 23 and 2,100m on Sept 24, before declining to 1,200m on Sept 25 and 450m on Sept 26.
The plume height increased to 600m on Sept 27 and 2,100m on Sept 28, preceding the latest 2,700-metre emission.
During the latest monitoring period, Phivolcs recorded two volcanic earthquakes and an ongoing volcanic tremor that has persisted since 3.41pm on Sept 21.
Despite the prolonged tremor, the agency said there was no immediate cause for alarm, noting that volcanic tremors are a normal occurrence at Taal Volcano.
No upwelling of hot volcanic fluids was observed in the main crater lake on Taal Volcano Island (TVI), situated at the centre of Taal Lake, during the latest observation period.
Phivolcs also reported that no volcanic smog, or “vog,” was observed.
Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1, indicating a low level of volcanic unrest.
However, Phivolcs reminded the public that the volcano remains in an abnormal condition, stressing that Alert Level 1 does not mean that volcanic unrest has ceased or that the threat of an eruption has been eliminated. - The Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
