Kanlaon Volcano erupts; alert level 3 up
Time-lapse footage of the ash emission from the crater of the Kanlaon Volcano on last week. (Screenshot from the record of Kanlaon Volcano Observatory – VKMN IP Camera via Phivolcs/Facebook)
MANILA, Philippines — Kanlaon Volcano erupted on Monday afternoon, prompting state volcanologists to raise the alert level to 3, which indicates magmatic unrest.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the restive volcano, which sits between Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, had an “explosive eruption” at its summit vent at 3:03 p.m.
“This means a magmatic eruption has begun that may progress to further explosive eruptions,” said Mari Andylene Quintia, Phivolcs resident volcanologist at the Mt. Kanlaon Volcano Observatory based in La Carlota City.
The eruption, Phivolcs added, produced a voluminous plume that rapidly rose to 3,000 meters above the vent and drifted west-southwest.
Ashfall was reported at the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in the municipality of Murcia and Bago City.
Article continues after this advertisementIt added that pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) were observed descending the slopes of the general southeastern edifice, based on footage from IP and thermal camera monitors.
PDCs, Phivolcs explained, are mixtures of hot fragmented volcanic particles, gases, and ash that flow down the slopes of a volcano or move outward from the source vent at high speed.
“In view thereof, DOST-PHIVOLCS is raising the Alert Level of Kanlaon Volcano from Alert Level 2 (increasing unrest) to Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest). This means magmatic eruption has begun that may progress to further explosive eruptions,” Phivolcs said.
Phivolcs reminded all local government units to evacuate residents within a 6-kilometer radius from the summit of the volcano and to be prepared for further evacuations, if necessary.
Mt. Kanlaon, which covers 24,557.60 hectares of land area with rain forests and verdant vegetation, straddles the cities of Bago, La Carlota and San Carlos and the towns of Murcia and La Castellana in Negros Occidental and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
The volcano erupted on June 3 this year and has since been in a state of unrest.
