Mount Kanlaon in the central Philippines erupted today, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported.
The chief of the institute’s volcano monitoring and eruption prediction division, stated in a radio interview that “an explosive eruption is currently taking place at the summit vent of Kanlaon, which began at 5:51am local time today.”
In a subsequent advisory, the institute warned that the eruption “is generating a substantial ash plume approximately 4,000 meters high, drifting towards the southwest.”
Additionally, the institute noted that “pyroclastic density currents have flowed down the slopes on the general southern side of the volcano.”
The institute and online users shared videos showcasing the volcano’s eruption, which released a substantial plume of ash and gas.
Despite the eruption, the institute chose not to elevate the volcano’s alert level. Kanlaon volcano has maintained an alert level 3 status since its last eruption in December of the previous year.
Alert Level 3 indicates that the volcano is experiencing magmatic unrest, suggesting that magma is ascending towards the surface. This condition raises the likelihood of a dangerous eruption, which may include explosive events, lava flows, and pyroclastic density currents.
Kanlaon, located between the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental on the island of Negros, ranks among the 24 most active volcanoes in the Philippines.