By JEN BAYLON
The high sulfur dioxide gas emissions from Kanlaon Volcano last Friday, June 28, may be a contributing factor to the increased seismic activities at the volcano, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said yesterday.
Mari Andylene Quintia, Phivolcs resident volcanologist from the Kanlaon Volcano Observatory in Negros Occidental’s La Carlota City, in an interview, said an average of 5,397 tons of sulfur dioxide were emitted by Kanlaon in the past few days.
This was higher than the 4,000 tons emitted days after its eruption last June 3.
Quintia said the increase in sulfur dioxide emissions may be a sign of magma movement beneath the surface of the volcano, which can lead to further seismic activities.
It may indicate that another phreatic explosion is still possible any time.
“The four-kilometer permanent danger zone [PDZ] must be off limits to all,” Quintia said.
She added that volcanic earthquake activity at Kanlaon continues at an average of 10 per day since the eruption last month.
Fourteen volcanic earthquakes were recorded on Sunday, June 30, as its volcanic edifice remained inflated.
Phivolcs said Kanlaon was exhibiting unrest, driven by hydrothermal processes and magmatic degassing deep within its volcanic edifice.
The unrest may lead to small-magnitude explosive eruptions and hazards that could endanger communities within the PDZ, the agency said.
Phivolcs added that if the unrest is driven by the rising magma, it could generate volcanic hazards, such as lava flows and pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), that would endanger nearby communities.
PDCs are hot, ground-hugging flows of ash and debris that can travel at speeds of hundreds of meters per second, reaching many tens to hundreds of kilometers from the source.
The residents are reminded to stay away from the PDZ and to prepare for any potential hazards.
Last month, the Phivolcs warned of increased volcanic activities and high sulfur dioxide gas emissions from the volcano.
Alert Level 2 was maintained over Kanlaon, which means that the volcano is showing signs of increased activity, but not yet at levels that would require immediate evacuation./JB, WDJ