A slight increase in volcanic quakes has been observed in Taal Volcano, while sulfur dioxide emission dropped, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said yesterday.
State volcanologists advised residents to remain prepared for threats posed by Taal Volcano despite the downgrading of its danger level from Alert Level 4 to 3.
Alert Level 3 means there is a “relatively high unrest manifested by seismic swarms, including the increasing occurrence of low-frequency earthquakes and or harmonic tremors where some events are felt.”
According to Phivolcs, sudden steam-driven and even weak phreatomagmatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, ashfall, and lethal volcanic gas expulsions can still occur and threaten areas within Taal Volcano island and nearby lakeshore communities.
The State volcanology agency maintained its recommendation that entry into the Taal Volcano island, areas over Taal Lake, and communities west of the island within a seven-kilometer radius from the main crater must be “strictly prohibited.”
Phivolcs continues to monitor Taal Volcano since its phreatic or steam-driven eruption last Jan. 12 as the parameters being used to assess the volcano’s activity continue to rise and fall in the past days.
The Taal Volcano Network plotted a total of 101 volcanic quakes from Tuesday morning to yesterday morning, including four low-frequency events, a slight increase from the 87 tremors recorded the other day.
“These earthquakes signify magmatic activity beneath the Taal edifice that could lead to eruptive activity at the main crater,” Phivolcs reiterated. (Alexandria San Juan)
