Taal Volcano experienced a phreatic eruption on Wednesday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Phivolcs said the “minor” eruption occurred at 2:02 a.m., producing a 2,500-meter-high eruption plume that drifted northeast.
It said the eruption was captured by its thermal camera at the Taal Volcano Observatory and IP camera at the Main Crater Observation station.
“Alert Level 1 prevails over Taal Volcano,” Phivolcs said.
Phivolcs defines phreatic eruption as “steam-driven explosions that occur when water beneath the ground or on the surface is directly heated by hot rocks or new volcanic deposits or indirectly by magma or magmatic gas.”
Taal Volcano had many other phreatic eruptions in the past.
In August, Phivolcs warned of possible phreatic eruption of Taal due to its increased seismic activity.
It said then that the sharp increase in real-time seismic amplitude measurements and “vigorous steaming from the main crater may lead to a phreatic or even a minor phreatomagmatic eruption.”
Phivolcs said it recorded zero volcanic earthquakes at Taal on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, the volcano’s sulfur dioxide emission was measured at 1,892 tons, and a 900-meter tall plume was also observed.
