Two minor eruptions were detected at Taal Volcano in Batangas shortly after midnight yesterday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Phivolcs said the eruptions had nothing to do with the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu approximately three hours earlier.
The eruptions generated ash plumes, but did not affect surrounding communities.
State volcanologists said the first eruption, described as phreatic or steam-driven, occurred between 12:57 a.m. and 1:02 a.m. The second, a stronger phreatomagmatic eruption, occurred from 2:02 a.m. to 2:15 a.m.
Phivolcs said the second eruption was recorded by a thermal camera installed at the Taal Volcano Observatory and by an IP camera at the Main Crater Observation Station.
‘A steam-driven eruption occurs when water came into contact with hot rocks, generating an explosion,’ Paolo Reniva, resident volcanologist at the Taal Volcano Observatory in Barangay Buco, Talisay town, said.
Meanwhile, a phreatomagmatic eruption occurs when magma comes into contact with water, causing explosions that eject steam, ash and volcanic debris. Such activity may produce plumes higher than the ones generated by a phreatic or steam-driven event.
Alert Level 1 or low-level unrest remained hoisted over Taal Volcano.
Entry into the Taal Volcano Island is strictly prohibited and residents in nearby areas have been advised to prepare and heed authorities during emergencies.