By El Amigo

STO. TOMAS CITY, Batangas — Taal Volcano has acted up anew Friday morning 24 January 2020, spewing a tall column of thick, white steam which Phivolc officials said the minor eruption signifies intensified heating up of volcanic materials underneath the crater.

Resident volcanologist Paulo Reniva said the thick steam bursting up from the crater meant that excessively hot volcanic materials are moving up, causing the water to boil and burst into the air.

Reniva also said the steam observed at 6 a.m. on Thursday was low, less dense compared to the steaming activity this Friday morning, which is far more dense and high.

It was also reported the number of volcanic quakes has also increased to 466 Friday morning from 444 last Thursday.

However, none of these quakes were felt on top ground save for high-tech earthquake-detecting instruments.

Philvolcs experts claimed the high frequency of volcanic quakes indicates that magma is still moving up.

Friday’s Taal bulletin of Phivolcs indicates that in the last 24 hours, the main crater has been characterized by “weak to moderate emission of white steam-laden plumes 50 to 500 meters high.”

Also, Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission has increased from 144 tons per day on Thursday to an average of 224 tons/day this Friday.

Alert Level 4 still remains in effect over Taal Volcano, PHIVOLCS said, adding that a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days.

It reiterates that total evacuation of the Taal Volcano Island, and high-risk areas as identified in the hazard maps within the 14-km radius from the main crater and along the Pansipit River Valley where fissuring has been observed is still in effect. (Ismael Amigo/Currentph.com)