Nine weak phreatomagmatic bursts occurred from the Taal Main Crater starting Saturday afternoon from Sunday morning, according to a bulletin from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Sunday morning.
The burst occurred between 3:50PM on Saturday and 4:49AM on Sunday, producing steam-rich plumes reaching the heights of 400 meters to 900 meters tall.
"These events were very short-lived, lasting only 10 seconds to two minutes and produced only traces in the seismic record but were accompanied by distinct infrasound signals," said PHIVOLCS in its bulletin.
PHIVOLCS director Renato Solidum described the event as "gas bursts." which he said comes form the magma from the volcano's crater.
"Ito pong gas burst ay nagpapahiwatig na may pressure paminsan-minsan 'yung gas na inilalabas ng magma na sa mababaw na parte ng crater ng Taal volcano," Solidum told DZRH on Sunday.
(These gas bursts imply that sometimes there is pressure in the gases released by the magma on the shallow part of the crater of Taal volcano.)
In the latest PHIVOLCS bulletin, the agency also recorded 31 volcanic earthquakes, including 14 volcanic tremor events that last between one to three minutes.
There were also 16 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes, one hybrid event and low-level background tremor that PHIVOLCS said has persisted since July last year.
"Ibig sabihin mas aktibo ang Taal volcano kahapon at ngayon kumpara sa mga nakaraang linggo," noted Solidum, referring to the volcanic earthquakes.
(This means Taal volcano is more active yesterday and today compared to the previous weeks.)
Despite this, PHIVOLCS said the volcano remains under Alert Level 2, and Solidum assured that no evacuation is necessary following the recent volcanic activities.
"Wala naman pong kailangang paglikas, imbes ay sundin ang kautusan o recommendation na walang pupunta sa volcano island," he said.
(There is no need for evacuation, instead, follow the order or recommendation of not going to the volcano island.)
According to PHIVOLCS, there is a possibility of steam- or gas-driven explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas if a volcano is under Alert Level 2.
PHIVOLCS addded that it "strongly recommends that entry into Taal Volcano Island, Taal's Permanent Danger Zone or PDZ must be strictly prohibited, especially the vicinities of the Main Crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, and extended stays on Taal Lake."
Taal volcano previously erupted back in January 2020, releasing ashes Region IV-A, Metro Manila, and some parts of regions III and one. Volcanic activity persisted until the year after, with smaller eruptions recorded in July 2021.
