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MANILA, Philippines – An “explosive eruption” at Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island on Monday evening, June 3, prompted state volcanologists to place the volcano under Alert Level 2.
In a bulletin issued at 8 pm on Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the eruption occurred at 6:51 pm on Monday and lasted 6 minutes.
It “produced a voluminous and incandescent plume that rapidly rose to 5,000 meters” or 5 kilometers.
There were also “probable short pyroclastic density currents or PDCs approximately 2 to 3 kilometers down the southern and southeastern slopes” of Kanlaon. PDCs are made up of fragmented volcanic particles, gases, and ash that travel down volcanic slopes at high speeds.
Phivolcs observed a “relatively strong volcano-tectonic earthquake” before the eruption as well.
Alert Level 2 means there is “increasing unrest” which is “driven by shallow magmatic processes.” Eventually, there may be “further explosive eruptions” or even a “hazardous magmatic eruption,” warned state volcanologists.
Communities on Kanlaon’s western slopes already reported “coarse ashfall and sulfurous odors” on Monday evening.
Phivolcs advised affected residents to “cover their nose and mouth with a damp, clean cloth or dust mask.”
There is also a 4-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone surrounding the volcano, which should be off-limits.
Prior to Monday’s eruption, Kanlaon had been under Alert Level 1 since March 11, 2020. But Phivolcs noted that the volcano has shown “above background earthquake activity for the past month” and sulfur dioxide has averaged around 1,273 tons per day in 2024. – Rappler.com