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Report on Kanlaon (Philippines) — 23 March-29 March 2016


Kanlaon

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 23 March-29 March 2016
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2016. Report on Kanlaon (Philippines) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 23 March-29 March 2016. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (23 March-29 March 2016)

Kanlaon

Philippines

10.4096°N, 123.13°E; summit elev. 2422 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


PHIVOLCS reported that at 1820 on 29 March the seismic network at Kanlaon detected an explosion that lasted about 12 minutes. The event was accompanied by a booming sound heard in communities to the W, including Ara-al, Yubo, La Carlota City (14 km W), and Canlaon City (8 km ESE) in Negros Occidental. Observers to the SE reported an ash plume that rose 1.5 km above the crater; minor amounts of ash fell in areas downwind. Incandescent ejecta caused a small bushfire on the upper flank. A 25-second-long explosion was detected at 1918. The Alert Level remained at 1 (on a scale of 0-5).

Geological Summary. Kanlaon volcano (also spelled Canlaon) forms the highest point on the Philippine island of Negros. The massive andesitic stratovolcano is covered with fissure-controlled pyroclastic cones and craters, many of which are filled by lakes. The largest debris avalanche known in the Philippines traveled 33 km SW from Kanlaon. The summit contains a 2-km-wide, elongated northern caldera with a crater lake and a smaller but higher active vent, Lugud crater, to the south. Eruptions recorded since 1866 have typically consisted of phreatic explosions of small-to-moderate size that produce minor local ashfall.

Source: Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)