Taal Volcano lowered to Alert Level 1

MANILA, Philippines — State seismologists have lowered the alert status in Taal Volcano from Level 2 to 1 after it showed decreased activity in the past two months.

“Taal Volcano’s condition in the past two months has been characterized by baseline volcanic earthquake activity, stabilized ground deformation of the Taal Caldera and on Taal Volcano Island (TVI) edifices as well as weak degassing and surface activity at the main crater,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) announced yesterday.

The Taal Volcano Network (TVN) recorded a decline in the daily average of volcanic earthquakes from seven per day between Jan. 1 and May 31, to zero since June 13, Phivolcs said.

It said the sustained seismic quiescence in the past month indicated that degassing and rock-fracturing processes related to magmatic activity beneath the TVI have abated.

Phivolcs said the possibility of magma intrusions into the main crater has significantly decreased.

Combined with other observations such as decreased ground deformation, lesser volcanic gas emission, decreased surface or main crater activity, Phivolcs said the lowering of Taal Volcano’s alert level is warranted.

The last significant activities detected from the main crater were phreatomagmatic bursts on Feb. 2 and 10 as well as on March 26.

Despite the lowering of Taal’s alert level, local government units and the public were reminded that the volcano remains under abnormal condition.

Phivolcs said the lowering of the alert level should not be interpreted that unrest has ceased or the threat of an eruption has disappeared.

“Should an uptrend or pronounced change in monitored parameters forewarn of renewed unrest, the alert status may be raised back to Level 2,” Phivolcs said. “Or should there be a return of monitoring parameters to baseline levels after a sufficient observation period, the alert level will be further lowered to Level 0.”

Although Taal is now at low-level unrest, low or sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas may still occur and threaten areas within the TVI, Phivolcs said.

Entry to the TVI as well as into the 40-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone, particularly in the vicinities of the main crater and Daang Kastila fissure remains prohibited.