Bulusan Volcano restive anew

THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Monday that it may raise to Level 2 the current alert status of the Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon province if its parameters continue to go up.

The Phivolcs issued the notice following an increase in seismic activity over the volcano in the past 24 hours, its director Teresito “Toto” Bacolcol said.

“Since 12 a.m. of January 28, a total of 126 weak volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes has been recorded by the Bulusan Volcano Network,” he said.

These VT earthquakes ranged in strength between 0.3 to 2.2 magnitudes and were generated between one to nine kilometers beneath the north to northwestern flank of the volcano edifice, he added.

Sustained seismic unrest for the past month indicates persistent hydrothermal activity that is likely driven by deep-seated magmatic processes and may lead to steam-driven or phreatic eruption, the agency said.

“If the parameters at Bulusan Volcano continue to go up, we may raise it to Alert Level 2,” Bacolcol warned.

Phivolcs reminded the public that Level 1 prevails over Bulusan Volcano, which means it is currently at low-level unrest with increased chances of steam-driven or phreatic eruptions.

Bacolcol said that entry into its four-kilometer radius permanent danger zone remains prohibited.

Also, vigilance in the two-kilometer extended danger zone on the southeast sector must be exercised due to the possibilities of sudden and hazardous phreatic eruptions.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs said that Mayon Volcano in Albay has been on Level 2 since December 2023, Taal Volcano in Batangas has been on Level 1 since July 2022 and Kanlaon Volcano in Negros island has been on Level 1 since March 2023.