Volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas emission from the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano reached 6,367 tons on Saturday, August 24, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) announced.
This is the third highest emission from the volcano recorded this year and since instrumental gas monitoring began, it said.
SO2 fumes were also reported in several barangays of Murcia, Negros Occidental, on Saturday, Phivolcs said.
The strong degassing activity from the volcano’s summit crater generated voluminous steam-rich plumes that rose 700 meters before drifting north, it added.
Volcanic earthquakes activity persists at an average of nine a day at Kanlaon, Phivolcs also said.
Real-time ground deformation data from continuous GPS and electronic tilt measurements have been recording slow but sustained inflation (swelling) and pressurization of the volcano’s edifice since March 2022, with increased inflation of the eastern flank beginning in 2023 and of the southeastern flank detected in July 2024, Phivolcs said.
The current monitoring parameters warn of shallow magmatic processes beneath the volcano that are actively driving unrest, causing persistent and increasing concentrations of volcanic gas emission, persistent volcanic earthquake activity and swelling of the edifice, it added.
The public is reminded that Alert Level 2 (increasing unrest) prevails over Kanlaon.
This means that there is current unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes with increased chances of leading to explosive eruptions or even hazardous magmatic eruption from the summit crater, Phivolcs said.
The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and avoid entry into the four kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) of Kanlaon Volcano to minimize risks from volcanic hazards such as pyroclastic density currents, ballistic projectiles, rockfall and others, it added.*