Kanlaon Volcano may have a hazardous eruption in the following weeks, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said on Tuesday.
PHIVOLCS chief Teresito Bacolcol said Alert Level 3, which means magmatic unrest, is raised over the volcano after its explosive eruption on Monday.
“Ang Alert Level 3 po ay nangangahulugan ng posibilidad na magkaroon ng hazardous eruption in the following weeks,” Bacolcol told Unang Balita in an interview.
(Alert Level 3 means there is a possibility of a hazardous eruption in the following weeks.)
“Pinapayuhan natin ang ating mga residente na huwag munang pumasok sa six-kilometer danger zone. Kahapon, it was an explosion, a strong explosion kahapon ang nangyari,” he added.
(We advise our residents not to enter the six-kilometer danger zone. Yesterday, it was an explosion, a strong explosion.)
Unlike in the previous activities of Kanlaon Volcano that only involved steam and ash, Bacolcol said the recent explosion involved magma.
“May magma na pong involved, unlike yung mga previous activity ng Kanlaon Volcano na may steaming and may kasamang abo,” he said.
(There is now magma involved, unlike the previous activities of the Kanlaon Volcano with steam and ash.)
“When we talk about magmatic eruption, this is magma na lumalabas at nagkaroon ng lava. Pero so far, hindi pa po natin nakikita yan ngayon sa Kanlaon Volcano,” he added.
(When we talk about magmatic eruption, there’s magma coming out. But so far we have not seen that in Kanlaon Volcano.)
In its bulletin on Tuesday, PHIVOLCS said the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on Monday lasted 3 minutes and 55 seconds.
Pyroclastic density currents traveled around 2 to 3.4 kilometers from the crater.
“This is a fast-moving mixture of hot volcanic gases, ash, and rock fragments na bumabagsak sa dalisdis ng bulkan. Mabilis po ang takbo nito, typically reaching hundreds of kilometers per hour,” Bacolcol said.
(This is a fast-moving mixture of hot volcanic gases, ash, and rock fragments falling down the slope of the volcano. It runs fast, typically reaching hundreds of kilometers per hour.)
“Delikado po itong pyroclastic density current kasi destructive ito and pwede masunog everything in their path including vegetation, buildings, pati tao pwede masunog. Yes po, nakakasunog po ito, nakakapatay po ito,” he added.
(This pyroclastic density current is dangerous because it is destructive and can burn everything in their path including vegetation, buildings, even people can burn. Yes, it’s deadly.)
The volcano had a 4,000-meters eruption column and a voluminous emission of plumes which drifted to the west and south-southwest directions.
PHIVOLCS recorded a total of 20 volcanic earthquakes and observed an inflated edifice of the volcano.
Before the eruption, 1,669 tons of sulfur dioxide gas was monitored from Kanlaon Volcano on Monday, according to PHIVOLCS.
The Office of Civil Defense said that around 87,000 individuals are set to be evacuated from their homes following Kanlaon Volcano’s eruption.
Classes at all levels and government work in Canlaon, Negros Oriental were immediately suspended on Monday after the explosion.
–VAL, GMA Integrated News
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