Taal Volcano logs 2 more minor phreatomagmatic eruptions

LUCENA CITY — Taal Volcano in Batangas province recorded two more minor phreatomagmatic eruptions between Wednesday night (Oct. 21) and early Thursday morning (Oct. 22), generating plumes that rose to as high as 3,000 meters above the main crater lake, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs said the latest eruption occurred at 4:52 a.m. on Thursday on Taal Volcano Island (TVI), in the middle of Taal Lake. The Wednesday eruption was clocked at 11:41 p.m. 

READ: Taal Volcano logs minor phreatomagmatic eruption

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Both events were captured by the volcano’s IP surveillance camera, Phivolcs said.

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The latest eruptions brought to eight the number of reported volcanic events this month, according to the agency’s monitoring reports.

Phivolcs recorded two phreatic, or steam-driven, eruptions on Oct. 19 and another one on Oct. 20. An additional phreatic eruption was reported in the agency’s Oct. 21 morning bulletin. 

Phivolcs also recorded a phreatomagmatic eruption on Oct. 8, two on Oct. 21, and the latest one on Oct. 22.

A phreatomagmatic eruption occurs when rising magma explosively interacts with water. A phreatic eruption, by contrast, is a steam-driven explosion caused when groundwater or surface water is rapidly heated by magma, lava or hot rocks.

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In its Thursday morning bulletin, Phivolcs reported two episodes of volcanic tremor lasting between two minutes and approximately 35 hours, based on the reported duration of 2 to 2,115 minutes.

The agency also recorded sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions of 575 metric tons during the monitoring period, describing the emissions as voluminous.

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The sulfur dioxide plume rose to about 3,000 meters above the main crater before drifting away.

No upwelling of hot volcanic fluids was observed in the main crater lake on TVI, and no volcanic smog, or “vog,” was detected during the monitoring period.

Despite the series of minor eruptions, Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1, indicating low-level volcanic unrest.

Phivolcs warned that sudden phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and potentially lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas could occur, posing a threat to areas on TVI.

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The agency reiterated its warning against entering the island and prohibits aircraft from flying close to the volcano. /jpv