MANILA – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has raised the status of Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island to Alert Level 1 due to what it said was increased seismic activity and the swelling of the volcano.
The state seismology office said in an advisory on Wednesday the volcano was at an “abnormal condition” and had entered a period of unrest.
Local government units and the public were reminded that entry into the 4-kilometer radius permanent danger zone “must be strictly prohibited due to the further possibilities of sudden and hazardous steam-driven or phreatic eruptions.”
The civil aviation authorities were also urged to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ejecta from any sudden phreatic eruption can be hazardous to aircraft.
Kanlaon’s seismic monitoring network recorded a total of 80 volcanic earthquakes, including 77 low frequency events associated with magmatic fluids beneath the edifice, as of March 9.
“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 this year,” Phivolcs said.
Kanlaon Volcano last erupted in June 2016; it spewed ash of about 1,312 feet (400 meters) to the sky. Ash fall was experienced in several barangays in Negros Occidental after the steam-driven eruption./PN
