The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Wednesday, Dec. 7 recorded a small phreatomagmatic burst from the main crater of Taal Volcano.
In its volcano bulletin, Phivolcs said the burst, caused by hot magma coming into contact with groundwater, lasted about a minute and produced plumes 600 meters high.
In the past 24 hours, Phivolcs did not detect any volcanic earthquakes.
However, Taal Volcano averaged 2,115 tons per day of sulfur dioxide (SO2) when it was last measured on Dec. 5.
Phivolcs said Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1, which means it is still in an abnormal condition.
At Alert Level 1, sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within the Taal Volcano Island, Phivolcs said.
It “strongly” recommended that entry into TVI—Taal’s permanent danger zone, especially the vicinities of the main crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, should be strictly prohibited.