Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Wednesday said it is hard to interpret Taal volcano’s activity because the magma has approached the surface.
PHIVOLCS Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division head Mariton Bornas explained that they need to measure the amount of magma has accumulated near the surface and ready to be ejected.
“This is a dilemma kung paano natin iinterpret ‘yung nakapondo na magma na dumaan at nagbitak bitak na lupa,” Bornas said during a press briefing.
The Taal Volcano Network recorded 481 earthquakes in the past 24 hours.
According to the latest bulletin of PHIVOLCS on January 22, 2020, Taal volcano emitted weaker white steam-laden plumes of 50 to 500 meters high.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission has dropped further to an average of 153 tons per day.
Bornas explained that if the trend continues for the next two weeks, the alert level may go down from 4 to 3.
But state volcanologist warned local authorities and displaced residents should not be complacent as Alert Level 4 remains in effect, meaning that a hazardous explosive eruption can happen within hours or days.
