January 16, 2025 | 11:45am
MANILA, Philippines — Kanlaon Volcano expelled ash for more than three hours on Thursday morning, January 16, according to Phivolcs.
This is one of the longest ash emission events recorded at the volcano this year, second only to the New Year’s Day event, which lasted 264 minutes or 4.4 hours.
Grayish plumes rising to 500 meters above the crater were captured by IP cameras at La Castellana station and the Kanlaon Volcano Observatory, along with the thermal camera at the Lower Masulog station.
Phivolcs reported that Thursday’s ash emission occurred between 3:08 a.m. and 6:15 a.m.
Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3 due to intensified or magmatic unrest.
It has experienced frequent ground shaking and ash emission events since its violent eruption on Dec. 9, 2024, which produced a plume reaching 3,000 meters high.
Ash emissions. Since January 1, Phivolcs data shows that Kanlaon Volcano has spewed ash at least 23 times, with ash emission events occurring four days the past week, including today.
On Wednesday, January 15, Kanlaon Volcano expelled ash twice, with each event lasting 14 to 22 minutes. Both January 12 and 13 also saw two ash emission events per day, each lasting up to an hour.
Volcanic earthquakes. Meanwhile, volcanic earthquakes and tremors have occurred daily this year, with no clear trend — some days saw spikes, while others recorded only a few events.
However, since the first week of 2025, slightly fewer earthquakes have been logged.
A total of 306 volcanic earthquakes and 39 tremors have been observed at Kanlaon Volcano since January 1. The tremors ranged from just a few minutes to several hours in duration.
Sulfur dioxide flux. Phivolcs has largely observed daily sulfur dioxide emissions from Kanlaon ranging between 3,000 and 6,000 tons, with the volcano continuously degassing and producing plumes often classified as voluminous.
Government response. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) held a meeting on Wednesday with its regional office in Negros Island, Phivolcs representatives and affected local governments to discuss evacuation plans for residents within a 10-kilometer radius of the Extended Danger Zone, should Alert Level 4 be raised.
They are considering setting up a tent city on a 9-hectare lot in Himamaylan town as temporary shelter for affected residents.
Canlaon City Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas informed the OCD during a Wednesday meeting that they have requested an additional P30 million in quick response funds.
Cardenas also reported that a water filtration truck from the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been deployed to address E. coli contamination in three water sources in Canlaon City.
The OCD said that for affected college students in private institutions, the Commission on Higher Education will implement an assistance program offering P15,000.
As of January 16, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that around 12,285 families remain affected by Kanlaon’s activity.
The government has provided P172.2 million in assistance to families in need and P2.2 million to local government units and regional agencies.
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