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[av_heading heading=’SEISMIC ACTIVITIES IN MT. KANLAON ‘NORMAL’ Rainwater triggered quakes, says Phivolcs ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY RANIE AZUE
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BACOLOD City – The increased number of seismic activities in Mount Kanlaon is “normal,” according to the Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division (PDRRMD).
PDRRMD head Zephard Gerhart Caelian said the latest volcano bulletin of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) showed that there were 578 volcanic earthquakes accompanied with continued spewing of ash in Mount Kanlaon in the last 24 hours as of Wednesday.
Caelian said they immediately coordinated with Phivolcs to determine the cause of the seismic activities and found that a hot rock inside the volcano was “reacting” to the water from the recent rains in the area.
Caelian explained that this “reaction” triggered some low frequency volcanic quakes that were reflected in Phivolcs’ latest bulletin.
The same phenomena also caused the steam that is coming off the volcano’s crater.
The Negros Occidental provincial government and the Office of the Civil Defense said all local government units surrounding Mount Kanlaon have already prepared strategic response actions in case “worst-case scenarios” happen.
These actions include evacuation, Caelian said.
He added that they were scheduling simulation drills that will prepare residents for possible situations during three kinds of alert levels of the volcano.
Caelian also advised the public to refrain from panicking and update themselves with Mount Kanlaon’s latest volcanic activities from the Phivolcs and other government agencies.
On Dec. 10, Phivolcs said the active volcano emitted black ashes accompanied with several tremors. It was recorded as an explosion-type earthquake that lasted for 10 minutes.
According to the reports of the Bago City and La Castellana Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Coordinating Councils, low-energy phreatic eruptions, or the steam-driven eruptions, were first felt on Dec. 9.
Thin ash fall was also experienced in Sitio Guintubdan, Barangay Ara-al in La Carlota City, Barangay Sag-ang in La Castellana and Barangay Ilijan in Bago City.
Ash samples recovered from these areas were currently being studied at the Phivolcs central office, Caelian said.
On Nov. 15, Phivolcs placed Mount Kanlaon under Alert Level 2 after it recorded 279 volcanic earthquakes in the last 24 hours.
The seismic activities of the volcano declined the following days but Phivolcs did not lower the alert level.
Mount Kanlaon is still on Alert Level 2. The volcano’s 4-kilometer permanent danger zone is off-limits to the public./PN
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