• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology yesterday reported strong degassing, or white steam emission from the crater of Kanlaon Volcano, as it also strongly debunked social media posts on the occurrence of ash emissions.
Mari Andylene Quintia, PHIVOLCS resident volcanologist stationed at La Carlota City observatory, however, said that Alert Level 2 still prevails over the volcano, which means it is in a state of increased unrest.
PHIVOLCS earlier reported on the occurrence of superheated gas emission and a swarm of volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes at Kanlaon Volcano, which it said could lead to a short-lived moderate explosive eruption.
VTs are generated by the rock fracturing process beneath the volcano, as rising magma, or magmatic gas drives a path toward the surface gases.
In an advisory, PHIVOLCS said it recorded five volcanic quakes, and plumes as high as 1,500 meters, before drifting towards the northeast.
Volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas emissions from the summit crater of Kanlaon averaged 2,020 tons, it reported.*
