Taal Volcano’s sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas emissions reached a new record-high on Tuesday, as volcanologists cautioned the public to refrain from entering the volcano’s permanent danger zone. “Recent degassing at the Taal main crater has been visibly moderate to strong and generated steam-laden plumes as tall as 3,000 meters above the Taal Volcano Island,” volcanologists said. “Current SO2 parameters indicate high levels of magmatic degassing from the main crater that could drive explosive activity,” the advisory warned. Alert level 2In August, Phivolcs detected a sudden inflation of the volcano island through its GPS monitoring, which it said might indicate renewed pressurization of the “subsurface hydrothermal system” due to the continuous degassing of magma. Phivolcs recommends that entry into the volcano island and Taal’s permanent danger zone, especially the vicinity of the main crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, as well as human activities on Taal Lake, must be prohibited.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 06, 2021 21:00 UTC