Kanlaon volcano still restless — Phivolcs

Mt. Kanlaon remains in a restless state, releasing a volcanic plume as high as 1.2 kilometers from its summit on Monday.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the volcano continued to emit dark ash as of 11:45 a.m., with the plume drifting towards the west and northwest. The volcano’s parameters remain elevated, but there has been no significant change overall.

Phivolcs has maintained Alert Level 3 on the volcano, indicating ongoing magmatic unrest and an increased likelihood of stronger explosive eruptions that could pose life-threatening hazards to nearby communities. The agency also warned that a six-kilometer radius from the summit must be evacuated due to the risk of pyroclastic density currents (PDCs).

Between midnight on 22 December and midnight on 23 December, Phivolcs recorded 15 volcanic earthquakes, mostly in the northern part of the volcano.

Simulations of the 23 December eruption showed that the ash plume dispersed toward Panay Island. Additionally, the volcano released 7,198 tons of sulfur dioxide.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) reported that damage from the eruption has reached P32.3 million, affecting nearly 22,000 individuals across seven local government units.