July 7 ------ Another short-lived phreatomagmatic eruption has occurred at Taal Volcano early Wednesday morning, July 7, which generated a grayish plume that rose 300 meters above the main crater. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the eruption occurred at around 5:18 a.m. During its 24-hour monitoring period, Phivolcs also detected 55 volcanic earthquakes, including one explosion-type earthquake, 44 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes, five volcanic tremor events having durations of two to five minutes, five hybrid earthquakes, and low-level background tremor that has persisted since April 8.
High levels of volcanic sulfur dioxide or SO2 gas emissions and steam-rich plumes that rose 1.5 kilometers were also observed from Taal Volcano’s main crater. Its SO2 emission averaged 7,560 tonnes as of Tuesday, July 6. Last July 1, Taal Volcano generated a short-lived dark phreatomagmatic plume that reached one kilometer high, prompting Phivolcs to raise the volcano’s alert status from 2 to 3.
Phivolcs on Wednesday said that Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 3 due to continuous “magmatic unrest.” “At Alert Level 3, magma extruding from the Main Crater could drive explosive eruption,” Phivolcs said. The public is prohibited from entering the entire Taal Volcano Island, which is a permanent danger zone. Phivolcs also advised those in the high-risk barangays of Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas to evacuate due to hazards of pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami in case strong eruptions occur.
“All activities on Taal Lake should not be allowed at this time,” it added. Communities around the Taal lakeshores were also advised to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures against possible airborne ash and vog. Phivolcs asked residents around Taal Lake to “calmly” prepare for possible evacuation should Taal Volcano’s unrest intensifies.
Source: mb.com.ph
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