Taal Volcano: Steam Blast Could Be A Sign of ‘Major Eruption’

The local geo-hazard agency in the Philippines has issued a warning that the recent phreatic eruption in Taal Volcano could lead to a magmatic eruption.

The steam blast usually comes before the major eruption, but there are some instances it did not so we have to keep on monitoring, said Allan Loza, a specialist from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

The volcano, situated in the province of Cavite and Batangas, erupted on Sunday afternoon local time. The plume of ash it spewed went as high as 100 meters, said Phivolcs Undersecretary Renato Solidum on his phone in his phone interview with a local news agency.

It can be seen even from distant provinces in the north of the volcano. Hours before the eruption, multiple minor earthquakes were recorded by Phivolcs. The volcano is currently at alert level 4, according to CNN Philippines.

As of writing, Phivolcs is reporting more minor earthquakes in Twitter with the tag #EarthquakeBatangas.

Evacuation Order

Taal volcano is located in the middle of the lake, and Solidum said that the water will be a hindrance to the evacuation.

At least 6,000 island inhabitants were asked to flee to the mainland of Batangas through boats, according to the Office of Civil Defense in the region.

Force evacuations were also issued in multiple towns in Cavite and Batangas.

Meanwhile, BGen Edgar Arevalo, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said that the military units based in Luzon have been alerted to assist in case a disaster happened since Sunday evening local time.

The Philippine Navy will also be deploying some units to give support.

Suspension due to Ash Fall

The ash the volcano spewed fell even on areas on the far north, including Manila, which is 60-kilometer from the north of Batangas. This prompted people to buy for the N95 mask and medical supplies.

Several towns and cities in Luzon have issued class suspensions at all levels. Some local government agencies also suspended their operations temporarily.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila also canceled some of its incoming and outgoing flights for safety reasons.

Taal Volcano, the second most active volcanoes in the Philippines, has been increasing its activity since March 2019. It caused fear among the residents, and it was fueled by some "major earthquake" alert circulating on Facebook. Phivolcs denied that warning.

The last eruption of the Taal volcano happened about four decades ago.