Volcano in Philippines Spews Ash Over a Mile into the Sky
A volcano in the central Philippines erupted early Tuesday morning, sending a massive grey plume of ash up about three kilometers (1.8 miles) into the sky and launching ballistic projectiles.
Kanlaon Volcano, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian nation, has had several eruptions in the past century -- the most recent of which happened last month.
A level three alert -- out of a scale of five -- put in place during an eruption in December remained unchanged Tuesday, as officials highlighted an existing six-kilometer (four-mile) evacuation radius.
"A moderately explosive eruption occurred at the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano at 2:55 am today (1855 GMT Monday)," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement, adding that it lasted five minutes.
"The eruption generated a greyish voluminous plume that rose approximately 3 kilometers above the vent before drifting to the general west," it said.
"Large ballistic fragments were also observed to have been thrown around the crater within a few hundred meters and caused burning of vegetation near the volcano summit."
Stating the continued level three alert, the agency warned there were "increased chances of short-lived moderately explosive eruptions that could generate life-threatening volcanic hazards."
In August 1996, Kanlaon Volcano erupted, sending a spray of heated rocks that killed three hikers who were near the summit at the time.
The Philippines is on the seismically active region of the Pacific known as the "Ring of Fire," where more than half the world's volcanoes are located.
The most powerful volcanic explosion in the Philippines in recent years was the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Manila, which killed more than 800 people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Tourists Told to Heed Warnings after Etna Eruption
Tourists have been told to check for warnings before climbing towards the summit of Italy's Mount Etna after an eruption sent hikers scurrying for safety. Video footage from Monday's eruption showed dozens of people hurrying down a path as a large plume of ash rose behind them from the volcano on the eastern side of the island of Sicily. Salvo Cocina, the head of Sicily's Civil Protection Department, said dozens of hikers had ventured on to Etna despite a warning issued early on Monday morning after initial signs of increased activity on Europe's largest active volcano. "There was a big explosion and a crater collapsed but luckily it fell into a deserted area," he told Reuters on Tuesday. "It's very hard to block access, you can't fence it off," he added. Cocina said those on the mountain on Monday, who had climbed to a height of some 2,700 meters, appeared to be properly equipped and he acknowledged the need to balance safety concerns with the desire of tourists to enjoy the views. Nobody was injured in Monday's eruption and the alert for volcanic activity had been downgraded to the more standard "yellow" level on Tuesday.
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Sicily's Mount Etna Erupts in a Fiery Show of Smoke and Ash Miles High
Sicily's Mount Etna put on a fiery show Monday, sending a cloud of smoke and ash several kilometers (miles) into the air, but officials said the activity posed no danger to the population. The level of alert due to the volcanic activity was raised at Catania airport, but no immediate interruptions were reported. An official update declared the ash cloud emission had ended by the afternoon. Italy's INGV National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the spectacle on Europe's most active volcano was caused when part of the southeast crater collapsed, resulting in hot lava flows. It was the 14th eruptive phase in recent months. The area of danger was confined to the summit of Etna, which was closed to tourists as a precaution, according to Stefano Branca, an INGV official in Catania. Sicily's president, Renato Schifani, said lava flows emitted in the eruption had not passed the natural containment area, 'and posed no danger to the population.' The event was captured in video and photos that went viral on social media. Tremors from the eruption were widely felt in the towns and villages on Mount Etna's flanks, Italian media reported. Video showed tourists running along a path on the flank of the vast volcano with smoke billowing some distance in the background. Excursions are popular on Etna, which is some 3,300 meters (nearly 11,000 feet) high, with a surface area of some 1,200 square kilometers (about 460 square miles).
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Massive plume of ash, gas spews from Italy's Mount Etna
A huge plume of ash, gas and rock spewed forth Monday from Italy's Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, after a portion of its southeastern crater likely collapsed, authorities said. Images showed a massive grey cloud billow forth from the volcano on the island of Sicily, beginning about 11:24 am local time (0924 GMT), according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Surveillance cameras showed 'a pyroclastic flow probably produced by a collapse of material from the northern flank of the Southeast Crater,' the agency said. A pyroclastic flow occurs when volcanic rock, ash and hot gasses surge from volcanos. They are extremely dangerous. The explosive activity 'had transitioned to a lava fountain,' INGV said, with the plume of ash expected to dissipate towards the southwest. A red alert issued for aviation authorities said the height of the volcanic cloud was estimated at 6.5 kilometers (more than four miles). The nearby Catania airport was still in operation.
