Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island has started “magmatic unrest,” which prompted state volcanologists to upgrade the alert level to Alert Level 3 on Monday, Dec. 9.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that the magmatic eruption “may progress to further explosive eruptions,” according to its notice.
“All local government units are advised to evacuate the 6-km radius from the summit of the volcano and must be prepared for additional evacuation if activity warrants,” the agency said.
Kanlaon has been under an Alert Level 2 category, or “increasing unrest,” since June.
The alert upgrade was triggered after an explosive eruption happened at the summit vent of Mt. Kanlaon at 3:03 p.m. Monday.
An explosive eruption occurred at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano at 3:03 PM today, 9 December 2024. The eruption produced a voluminous plume that rapidly rose to 3,000 meters above the vent and drifted west-southwest. Pyroclastic density currents or PDCs descended the slopes… pic.twitter.com/EFNFDzRHEe
— PHIVOLCS-DOST (@phivolcs_dost) December 9, 2024
A column of hot gases and other volcanic materials burst out three kilometers above the vent and drifted west-southwest, according to Phivolcs monitoring.
Fast-moving mixtures of fragmented volcanic particles, hot gases and ash, which are called pyroclastic density currents, have flowed the slopes on the general southeastern edifice of the volcano, the agency added.
