Three short-lived phreatic or steam-driven eruptions were recorded on Sunday in Taal Volcano, which remains under Alert Level 1. the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Phivolcs said the events occurred from 8:50 a.m. to 9:12 a.m. as seen on its Main Crater (VTMC) observation station.
“The events lasted more than 2 minutes and produced up to 350-meter-tall steam plumes that drifted West-southwest and Southwest. Alert Level 1 prevails over Taal Volcano,” Phivolcs said.
Another short-lived phreatic eruption occurred at 11:02 a.m. which lasted approximately five minutes and produced a 300-meter-tall steam plume that drifted northwest.
Footage shared by the state seismic agency on its social media platforms showed that Taal Volcano continues to exhibit low level unrest.
A phreatic eruption occurs when magma heats groundwater or surface water. It can typically include steam and rock fragments.
Taal Volcano is part of a chain of active volcanoes in Luzon. It is surrounded by a lake and falls under the jurisdictions of Talisay and San Nicolas municipalities in Batangas.
Taal is one of the most active volcanoes in the country that is hit periodically by eruptions and earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” – a zone of intense seismic activity.