MANILA, Philippines – A minor phreatomagmatic eruption occurred at the main crater of the Taal Volcano on Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
In a bulletin posted on its Facebook page, Phivolcs said that the eruption happened at 2:34 p.m. and lasted for four and a half minutes based on seismic, insfrasound and visual observations.
Phivolcs recorded “three pulses that produced jets of dark gray ash and stream-rich plumes that rose 1,200 meters above the crater.”
The agency also said the Alert Level 1 prevailed over the volcano.
Earlier in the day, the Phivolcs reported a mild burst at about 7:13 a.m. According to Phivolcs, phreatomagmatic eruption occurs when magma interacts with water, causing explosive events that produce a mix of steam, ash, and fragmented volcanic materials.
On one hand, a phreatic eruption happens when water comes into contact with hot volcanic materials (either rocks or gases), producing steam, ash and sometimes fragmented volcanic materials, the agency explained.
