Light volcanic smog monitored over Taal Caldera – PHIVOLCS

THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has monitored light volcanic smog over the Taal Caldera region in Batangas.

In a series of tweets, PHIVOLCS showed photos of the surroundings of the volcano, which were blanketed by vog. 

“Voluminous degassing produced a pronounced plume that rose 2400 meters above the Taal Main Crater before drifting to the southwest and south-southwest,” PHIVOLCS said on Wednesday. 

It also said the sulfur dioxide measurement was at 10,933 tonnes/day as of January 8, 2024.

Last September, volcanic smog or vog affected Cavite, Batangas, and Laguna.

”As a reminder, vog consists of fine droplets containing volcanic gas such as SO2 (sulfur dioxide) which is acidic and can cause irritation of the eyes, throat, and respiratory tract with severities depending on the gas concentrations and durations of exposure,” PHIVOLCS said.

”People who may be particularly sensitive to vog are those with health conditions such as asthma, lung disease, and heart disease, the elderly, pregnant women, and children,” it added.

Alert Level 1 prevails over Taal Volcano, which means sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur.