By JHON ALDRIN CASINAS
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) detected 175 volcanic earthquakes in its 24-hour monitoring of Taal Volcano in Batangas.
A volcano bulletin issued yesterday said of the 175 recorded volcanic earthquakes from 8 a.m. March 19 to 8 a.m. March 20, 131 were volcanic tremor episodes that lasted one to 15 minutes.
Phivolcs said moderate emission of steam-laden plumes from fumarolic vents that rose 80 to 100 meters high were observed in Taal’s main crater.
The agency also measured sulfur dioxide emission that averaged 603 tons per day on March 19, while temperature highs of 71.8 degrees Celsius and pH of 1.59 were last measured from the main crater lake on March 4 and 12, respectively.
Phivolcs said that ground deformation parameters also indicated “a very slow and steady inflation and expansion of the Taal region since after the January 2020 eruption.”
“These parameters may indicate increased magmatic activity at shallow depths beneath the edifice,” it said.
Phivolcs said Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 2 due to “increased unrest.”
State seismologists warned that sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within the Taal Volcano island.
The agency has urged public not to enter the volcano island, which is a permanent danger zone, especially the vicinities of the main crater and Daang Kastila fissure.
