PHIVOLCS: Steaming, upwelling activities at Taal Volcano

PHIVOLCS on Tuesday monitored steaming and upwelling at the main crater of Taal Volcano in Batangas province, which is under Alert Level 2 or experiencing increased unrest.

The agency on Facebook said there was steaming and upwelling at the main crater between 7:20 a.m. to 10 am. as seen by the VTMC IPCamera Station under cover of low-lying clouds.

"Slightly increased degassing can also be observed from the active fumarole on the northern side of the Main Crater," it added.

According to PHIVOLCS chief Renato Solidum, the upwelling and steaming are part of the "degassing process'' and proves continued unrest at the volcano.

"As shallow magma is degassing, it boils the underground water to produce steam," Solidum told GMA News Online.

"The gas also escapes into the Main Crater Lake and since it is hot and buoyant, it rises towards the lake surface (or upwells)," he added.

Solidum said that entry into Volcano Island and boating in Taal Lake were strictly not allowed.

Earlier, state volcanologists documented 185 volcanic quakes in the volcano in the last 24 hours. --NB, GMA News