MANILA, Mar 11 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology today raised the alert level over Mount Kanlaon volcano in the central Philippines, saying the volcano has “entered a period of unrest.”
The institute said, it declared alter level 1, saying that, the volcano on Negros Oriental province, in the country’s Visayas region, “is at an abnormal condition and has entered a period of unrest.”
The institute also reported that, it has recorded a total of 80 volcanic earthquakes since Mar 9, “dominated by 77 low-frequency events, that are associated with magmatic fluids beneath the edifice.”
“The increased seismic activity could be succeeded by steam-driven or phreatic eruptions at the summit crater, despite the absence of visible degassing or steaming from the active vent,” the institute warned.
Since 2017, the institute said, it observed ground deformation that indicates “a period of long-term slow inflation of the edifice.” Moreover, it said, “short-term electronic tilt monitoring on the southeastern flanks recorded slow inflation of the lower slopes, since May, 2019, and pronounced inflation of the upper slopes at the end of Jan, 2020.”
“These parameters indicate that volcanic processes are underway deep beneath the edifice that may be caused by deep-seated degassing or hydro-thermal activity or magmatic intrusion,” the institute said.
The institute strongly reminded residents around the volcano not to enter the 4-kilometre radius permanent danger zone, warning, “the possibilities of sudden and hazardous steam-driven or phreatic eruptions.”
The institute also wanted pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit “as ejecta from any sudden phreatic eruption can be hazardous to aircraft.”
The Philippine archipelago is dotted with at least 24 active volcanoes. The country is also lashed by around 20 typhoons each year.
