Elevated gas emissions logged at Kanlaon anew

MANILA, Philippines — State volcanologists have recorded another elevated sulfur dioxide emissions at Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island.

The volcano spewed 5,083 tons of sulfur dioxide yesterday, the second highest emission recorded so far this year, and the third since the monitoring started, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Phivolcs said several elevated concentrations of sulfur dioxide emissions have been recorded since Kanlaon erupted on June 3.

The emission averaged 3,254 tons per day, it added.

Medium- and short-term inflations of the edifice have been observed, indicating that a slow, sustained pressure is ongoing inside the volcano.

“The overall monitoring parameters indicate that magmatic processes beneath the volcano may be driving current unrest, causing persistently high concentrations of volcanic gas emission, swelling of the edifice and occasional volcanic earthquake activity,” Phivolcs said.

It said the current unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes could lead to eruptions or precede hazardous magmatic eruptions at the summit crater.

Kanlaon remains under alert Level 2.

Entry into Kanlaon’s four-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone is prohibited.