Bulusan Volcano Erupts Anew, Its Second this October

By: Philippines News Agency | News5

LEGAZPI CITY — Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon province has exploded anew, sending a kilometer-high white grayish cloud into the air that lasted for 24 minutes Monday morning, its second this month, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

“Though the event was a minor phreatic eruption that is produced by steam the volcano’s restiveness has remained,” said Eduardo Laguerta, Phivolcs’ resident volcanologist.

Bulusan volcano’s eruption at past 7 a.m. on Monday is the second this month after the first on Oct. 6 but it is the 20th eruption since May last year, he said.

Phivolcs’ monitoring instruments recorded 24 volcanic earthquakes during the past 24-hour period, its 8 a.m. bulletin said.

Laguerta said the earthquakes were triggered by rock fracturing due to the hydrothermal pressure that has developed in the volcano’s vent which also generates the phreatic or steam-driven explosion.

Aside from the quakes that shook the volcano it also emitted 79 tonnes of sulfur dioxide which, Laguerta said, was of “normal value.”

Alert Level 1 (abnormal), which was hoisted over Bulusan volcano in September to denote its restiveness, remains in effect.

The public are reminded not to enter the designated four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone due to the possibility of sudden and hazardous phreatic eruptions.

Civil aviation authorities advised pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden phreatic eruption could be hazardous to aircrafts.

Residents near river channels, especially on the southwest and northwest sectors of the volcano’s slopes should be cautious against lahar flows in the event of heavy rains and prolonged rainfall, added Phivolcs.

(Source: InterAksyon.com)