Don’t panic amid Kanlaon ash emission – Phivolcs chief

The head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Tuesday the public should not panic despite Kanlaon Volcano emitting ash anew.

Ash emissions from the summit crater were recorded from 1:53 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. and from 5:23 a.m. to 5:39 a.m. Tuesday.

These were “generated superheated and grayish plumes that rose 300 meters above the crater before drifting west,” Phivolcs’ social media post read.

“The public should remain vigilant, follow official advisories, and avoid panic or spreading misinformation,” Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol told the Philippine News Agency.

Previous Phivolcs advisories and postings would usually describe the color and height of the plume generated by a volcano.

The latest advisory described the plume as “superheated”, but Bacolcol clarified there is no additional implication tied to that description.

“It simply means that we are able to confirm the presence of ash emissions at night because the thermal camera can detect the superheated plume,” he said.

The term “superheated” was added to describe the plume because the video was taken at night using a thermal camera, which detects heat emissions at night.

“This allows us to clearly observe the plume because it is hot. During the day, the plume can be seen visually, but its temperature remains the same as it is during the night,” Bacolcol said.

Meanwhile, he said areas west of Kanlaon Volcano might be affected as the ash plume drifted westward.

“However, since the plume only rose to 300 meters, it is likely that most of the ash settled along the slopes of the volcano,” he added.

Bacolcol said the public should be reminded to avoid venturing inside the 6-kilometer danger zone.

The volcano remains under Alert Level 3.* (Ma. Cristina Arayata/PNA)