Kanlaon Volcano emitted more sulfur dioxide gas on Christmas Day — PHIVOLCS

The daily sulfur dioxide emission from Kanlaon Volcano has increased to 6,014 tons on Wednesday, Christmas Day, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported Thursday in its bulletin.

This was lower than the 3,585 tons of sulfur dioxide gas recorded on Tuesday.

Kanlaon Volcano also had two ash emission events on Wednesday, lasting 59 minutes up to one hour and five minutes.

However, this was fewer and shorter than the seven ash emission events at the volcano that lasted up to two hours and 26 minutes on Tuesday.

From 1,200 meters, Kanlaon Volcano's voluminous plumes now only reached 400 meters. The volcano also had continuous degassing with occasional ash emission. The plumes were drifting to the west, west-northwest, and southwest directions.

A total of 20 volcanic earthquakes, including seven volcanic tremors, were recorded over Kanlaon Volcano and lasted from 29 minutes to one hour and 32 minutes.

The volcano edifice is still inflated.

On December 9, an explosive eruption occurred at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano, producing a voluminous plume that rapidly rose to 4,000 meters.

Ashfall was reported and pyroclastic density currents or PDCs descended at the slopes of the volcano.

Alert Level 3 remains in effect over Kanlaon Volcano, which means there is a high level of volcanic unrest. Magmatic intrusion to shallow levels of the edifice is driving unrest, with indications that a hazardous eruption could occur in weeks.

Possible hazards from the volcano include sudden explosive eruption, lava flow or effusion, ashfall, pyroclastic density current (PDC), rockfall, and lahars during heavy rains.

The volcano's danger zone was expanded to a radius of six kilometers from the summit crater or active vent. — VDV, GMA Integrated News