SUNDAY VIEW With a clear bright sky as the backdrop, Taal Volcano in Batangas province produces a 900-meter-high plume during a minor phreatic (steam-driven) eruption on Sunday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reports. 鈥擵ideo grab from Phivolcs-Talisay Station
LUCENA CITY, QUEZON, Philippines 鈥� Taal Volcano in Batangas province recorded two minor phreatic, or steam-driven, eruptions on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
In its latest bulletin, Phivolcs said the most recent phreatic eruption occurred from 8:20 to 8:24 a.m. on Sunday. The event produced a 900-meter-high plume that drifted westward.
On Saturday, the volcano also showed another minor phreatic eruption at 9:42 to 9:46 p.m. The eruption was accompanied by three volcanic tremors lasting four to 12 minutes.
搁贰础顿:听Phivolcs logs minor eruption at Taal Volcano
A phreatic eruption is a 鈥渟team-driven explosion that occurs when water beneath the ground or on the surface is heated by magma, lava, hot rocks, or new volcanic deposits (for example, tephra and pyroclastic-flow deposits),鈥� Phivolcs said.
The unrest, however, is unlikely to progress into a magmatic eruption based on the background levels of volcanic earthquake activity and the detected ground deformation, Phivolcs pointed out.
Taal Volcano is still under alert level 1 (low level of volcanic unrest), Phivolcs said.
The agency reminded the public that Taal Volcano remained in an 鈥渁bnormal condition鈥� and 鈥渟hould not be interpreted to have ceased unrest nor ceased the threat of eruptive activity.鈥�
鈥榃eak emission鈥�
In its Sunday bulletin, Phivolcs also recorded a 鈥渨eak emission鈥� of only 407 metric tons of sulfur dioxide from Taal鈥檚 main crater.
There were no reports of upwelling hot volcanic fluids in the main crater lake of Taal Volcano Island, which sits in the middle of Taal Lake.
No volcanic smog, or 鈥渧og,鈥� was also observed during the latest monitoring period.
On Feb. 12, the volcano also logged a minor phreatic eruption that lasted three minutes. At least 12 volcanic earthquakes were also detected.
The series of quakes were accompanied by 11 volcanic tremors.
Phivolcs defines volcanic earthquakes as those 鈥済enerated by magmatic processes or magma-related processes beneath or near an active volcano.鈥�
Volcanic tremors, on the other hand, are 鈥渃ontinuous seismic signals with regular or irregular oscillations and low frequencies (typically 0.5鈥�5 Hz) that can last for more than a minute.鈥�