Mount Kanlaon in Negros Island emitted ash early Sunday morning, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
In its advisory, Phivolcs said the event generated grayish plumes that rose about 300 meters above the crater before drifting southwest.
In an interview with the Daily Tribune, Kanlaon Volcano Observatory (KVO) resident volcanologist Mari-Andylene Quintia confirmed that two separate ash emission events were recorded Sunday morning.
“So far, two ash emissions have been recorded since 12 a.m. The first event occurred at 4:25 a.m. and lasted 33 minutes, while the second began at 6:59 a.m. and lasted 18 minutes,” Quintia said in a Viber message.
She clarified that the volcano only registered low-energy ash emissions, which differ significantly from pyroclastic density current (PDC) events.
“Only ash emissions were recorded. These were low-energy events. We have no recorded PDCs,” she said.
Quintia explained that pyroclastic density currents at Kanlaon are typically associated with explosive eruptions.
Phivolcs’ latest 24-hour monitoring report, covering 12 a.m. of 23 May to 12 a.m. of 24 May, logged seven ash emissions lasting between seven and 19 minutes, 11 volcanic earthquakes, and seven volcanic tremors lasting three to 21 minutes.
Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 2, indicating a moderate level of volcanic unrest.