PHIVOLCS: Heavy rain triggers small-volume lahar flow at Bulusan

Amid the heavy rains over Sorsogon Province on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) monitored a small-volume lahar flow at Bulusan Volcano.

In an early Monday morning advisory, PHIVOLCS said the lahar flow began at approximately 7:04 p.m. on Sunday and lasted for 54 minutes.

An ocular investigation by the Bulusan Volcano Observatory confirmed thin, channel-confined lahar deposits along Calang Creek in Barangay Cogon, Irosin.

Calang Creek is the major channel draining the southwestern slopes of Bulusan.

Alert Level 1 remains

In its 5 a.m. bulletin, the PHIVOLCS said that Bulusan Volcano had seven volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours.

The volcano also emitted 559 tonnes of sulfur dioxide on June 26.

Plumes rising up to 150 meters were observed. These drifted west-northwest and west.

The volcano’s edifice was also inflated.

Alert Level 1 remained in effect over Bulusan on Monday, PHIVOLCS said. This meant that the volcano was at a low-level of unrest, but sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruptions were possible.

The institute reiterated that entry into the four-kilometer radius permanent danger zone (PDZ) and entry without vigilance into the two-kilometer extended danger zone (EDZ) was prohibited.

Likewise, flying aircraft close to the Bulusan Volcano was not allowed.

On June 12, Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon had another phreatic eruption which lasted for 18 minutes.

The eruption occurred a week after the Bulusan Volcano's phreatic eruption on June 5 at 10:37 a.m. — DVM, GMA News