Bulusan volcano spews ash, the second eruption this week

2016_1020_mt-bulusan
Bulusan volcano spewed ash Wednesday morning for nine minutes. It was the second eruption this week and the third phreatic display since September. Ash drifted on its slopes and affected mostly residents in Bulusan town.

BULUSAN, Sorsogon — Active Mount Bulusan, here, spewed a kilometer-high ash cloud that lasted for around nine minutes early morning on Wednesday, its second time this week.

Volcanologists of the Philippine Institute of Volcanolgy and Seismology (Phivolcs) found 0.5 millimetres traces of ashes that drifted towards villages in this town.

Ihe eruption was the second to take place this week. The first occurred last October 17. The past September Bulusan also had a phreatic eruption.

Resident volcanologist Ed Laguerta said the eruptions were normal occurrences since the volcano has been exhibiting some 20 eruptions since May last year.

Phivolcs is closely monitoring the presence of fresh magma that could be expelled by the volcano which would indicate if magma is developing beneath the volcano’s vent.

Its personnel gather ash samples every time the volcano erupts to determine if there are fresh magma particles in it.

Phivolcs’ seismic monitoring instruments recorded 28 volcanic earthquakes during the past 24-hour period, said Phivolcs’ 8 a.m. bulletin today.

The earthquakes were triggered by rock fracturing due to hydrothermal pressure developing in the volcano’s vent that also generates the phreatic explosion, added the bulletin.

Mt. Bulusan also emitted 176 tonnes of sulfur dioxide which Laguerta said is just a “normal value.”

The volcano’s slopes continue to show signs of “bulging” or inflationary trends since July this year.

Alert Level 1 remains in effect over Bulusan volcano which means it is in a restive state or abnormal condition.

The public are reminded not to enter the designated four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone due to the possibility of sudden and hazardous phreatic eruptions.

Civil aviation authorities advised pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden phreatic eruption could be hazardous to aircrafts.

Residents near river channels, especially on the southwest and northwest sectors of the volcano’s edifice, should be cautious.

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