Minor eruption recorded in Taal

MANILA, Philippines —  A minor eruption was recorded at the main crater of Taal Volcano in Batangas yesterday afternoon, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Phivolcs said the phreatomagmatic eruption occurred between 3:01 p.m. and 3:13 p.m., involving three short eruptive events that lasted four to six minutes each.

The events were preceded by a strong tremor and generated a plume that rose 2,400 meters above the main crater lake.

Phivolcs described the activity as short-lived and consistent with the ongoing low-level unrest observed since 2021, when Alert Level 1 was raised over the volcano.

The alert level indicates shallow hydrothermal activity or degassing at the surface that may or may not lead to an eruption.

Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief of the Phivolcs volcano monitoring and eruption prediction division, said that minor phreatomagmatic bursts have been recurring in Taal since 2021.

Bornas said these events are brief, but hazardous if they occur near the crater.