Taal volcano update: 92 earthquakes a warning sign of an eruption

The local authorities in the Philippines have been keeping tabs on the activity occurring in the Taal volcano after it erupted two weeks ago. A report reveals that magma activity under the ground resulting in low-frequency earthquakes is a warning sign of an eruption.

Express reports that the Taal Volcano Network has recorded 92 low-frequency earthquakes in a span of 24 hours in the region where the volcano resides but was undetected by the Philippine Seismic Network. The magnitudes of the earthquakes were within a range of 1.5 to 2.2 on the Richter scale. Ever since the eruption that occurred a few weeks ago, there have been 755 low-frequency earthquakes that occurred.

The second eruption that occurred the next day caused ashfall that covered the surrounding areas of the Batangas province as well as the southern parts of the capital region. From an alert level four, the level lowered down to alert level three as of Tuesday. However, this still signifies that an eruption can occur at any time due to magma being near the surface. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the activity happening within the volcano in the past 24 hours saw a “weak to voluminous emission of white to dirty steam-laden plumes 100m to 800m tall that drifted southwest.”

The eruption forced the thousands of residents in the surrounding areas of the volcano to evacuate and the local authorities to lock the places down. Hundreds of thousands of locals were brought to the nearest evacuation centers. Taal island, where the volcano is located, is on permanent lockdown.

Meanwhile, a satellite image of the Taal volcano showed a glowing red crater within. Photos that taken by the European Space Agency or ESA also showed the ash-covered portions of the island. According to the agency, “The optical image has been processed using the mission’s short-wave infrared band to show ongoing activity in the crater, visible in bright red. Ash blow by strong winds could be seen in Agoncillo, visible southwest of the Taal volcano. Ash has also been recorded in other areas of the Batangas province” including Quezon apart from Manila.