Minor phreatic eruption recorded over Taal Volcano

A MINOR phreatic eruption over Taal Volcano in Batangas province was recorded late Friday morning, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said the latest burst occurred around 11:25 a.m. which produced a 1,500 meter high plume that drifted southwest, he told The Manila Times via Viber.

The minor burst was captured by an IP (internet protocol) camera of the Agoncillo Observation Station, the agency said.

Alert Level 1 currently prevails over the volcano, which means there is a low-level volcanic unrest, but a series of phreatic eruptions was recorded in the past weeks.

A phreatomagmatic eruption, which was more explosive that phreatic eruption, took place on Oct. 2, 2024, which lasted for 11 minutes, records showed.

A phreatomagmatic eruption occurs when magma interacts with water, causing explosive events that produce a mix of steam, ash, and fragmented volcanic materials, the Phivolcs chief said.

On one hand, Bacolcol said phreatic eruption happens when water comes into contact with hot volcanic materials (either rocks or gases), producing steam, ash and sometimes fragmented volcanic materials.

He reminded the public anew to stay away from volcano's permanent danger zone «which is the whole of Taal Volcano Island as phreatic eruptions can take place anytime.»