Global Volcanism Program

Most Recent Bulletin Report: March 1980 (SEAN 05:03) Cite this Report

Last month's "hot mudflows" not volcanic

A COMVOL investigation has determined that press reports of hot mudflows at Babuyan Claro were incorrect. COMVOL found that a landslide, probably triggered by continuous rainfall, had occurred at 600 m above sea level on the NW flank.

Information Contacts: O. Peña, COMVOL, Quezon City.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Babuyan Claro.

Bulletin Reports - Index

Reports are organized chronologically and indexed below by Month/Year (Publication Volume:Number), and include a one-line summary. Click on the index link or scroll down to read the reports.

04/1969 (CSLP 29-69) False activity reports during Didicas eruption

02/1980 (SEAN 05:02) Hot mudflows force evacuation

03/1980 (SEAN 05:03) Last month's "hot mudflows" not volcanic

Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)

April 1969 (CSLP 29-69)

False activity reports during Didicas eruption

Card 0489 (07 April 1969) Large ash clouds reported

Volcanic activity is now reported from Babuyan Island, 70 km NW of Didicas Volcano (figure 1). Large ash clouds are being emitted at 10-minute intervals. Note: There are two active volcanos on Babuyan Island -- Babuyan Claro and Smith. It is not yet known which of these is presently erupting.

Figure 1. Sketch map showing the location of Babuyan Island north of Luzon, Philippines.

Card 0490 (08 April 1969) Aerial reconnaissance shows no signs of activity at Babuyan volcanoes

"COMVOL air reconnaissance Babuyan Island indicated neither signs of present or recent activity. Island has two volcanos, Smith or Mt. Babuyan clearly observed with no signs of activity. Older and taller volcano, Mt. Pangasun or Babuyan Claro covered by cloud bank but no ash deposits on lower slopes or steam emission apparent."

Card 0515 (24 April 1969) Eruption reports were unfounded

The alleged eruption of a volcano in Babuyan Island proved to be unfounded. Air reconnaissance over the Island failed to show any signs of any on-going activity or one of very recent occurrence. There are two volcanoes in the island. Smith or Mount Babuyan, the younger and lower of the two was clearly visible and no break was observed on any part of its grassy crater and slopes. No ash deposits on the trees of the lower half of the volcano were detected, and as no eruption emission was seen rising above the cloud bank, it can be surmised that this volcano too has not manifested any very recent activity.

Information Contacts: Card 0489 (07 April 1969)Erico Cartillejos, Manila Bulletin, Manila, Philippines.
Card 0490 (08 April 1969)American Embassy, Manila, Philippines.
Card 0515 (24 April 1969)Arturo Alcaraz, Commission on Volcanology, Manila, Philippines.

February 1980 (SEAN 05:02) Cite this Report

Hot mudflows force evacuation

Hot mudflows from Babuyan Claro [but see below] damaged rice fields and roads, and forced the evacuation of nearby residents according to a Kyodo radio report dated 8 February. PNA radio reported that a three-man COMVOL was sent to study the volcano. . . .

Information Contacts: Kyodo radio, Tokyo; PNA radio, Manila.

March 1980 (SEAN 05:03) Cite this Report

Last month's "hot mudflows" not volcanic

A COMVOL investigation has determined that press reports of hot mudflows at Babuyan Claro were incorrect. COMVOL found that a landslide, probably triggered by continuous rainfall, had occurred at 600 m above sea level on the NW flank.

Information Contacts: O. Peña, COMVOL, Quezon City.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Babuyan Claro
Pangasun

Stratovolcano

1064 m

19° 31' 29" N

121° 57' 9" E

Cayonan

Cone

Dionisio

Stratovolcano

Naydi

Stratovolcano

Smith Volcano
Babuyan, Mount
Pokis

Pyroclastic cone

683 m

19° 32' 19" N

121° 54' 45" E

Thermal

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Askedna Hot Spring

Hot Spring

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

274030

1924 CE

1,064 m / 3,491 ft

19.524°N
121.95°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano(es)
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Crustal thickness unknown

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

208
222
222
11,819

Geological Summary

Multiple Quaternary volcanic centers occupy Babuyan de Claro Island north of Luzon. The largest edifice is Babuyan Claro (Mount Pangasun) at the center of the island, a stratovolcano with a 500-m-diameter summit crater and a smaller crater on the upper E flank. An older edifice lies just 1.5 km WSW, but the basaltic andesite Smith volcano (Mount Babuyan), about 4 km ENE of the summit, is the youngest volcanic feature on the island. Eruptions from Smith were recorded most recently during 1907-1924. Askedna Hot Spring is located at the southern base of Babuyan Claro.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Commission on Volcanology (COMVOL), 1981. Catalogue of Philippine volcanoes and solfataric areas. Philippine Commission on Volcanology, compiled by B. Yambao and G.A. Andal, 87 p..

Defant M J, Jacques D, Maury R C, de Boer J, Joron J-L, 1989. Geochemistry and tectonic setting of the Luzon arc, Philippines. Geol Soc Amer Bull, 101: 663-672.

Defant M J, Maury R C, Joron J, Feigenson M D, Leterrier J, Bellon H, Jacques D, Richard M, 1990. The geochemistry and tectonic setting of the northern section of the Luzon arc (the Philippines and Taiwan). Tectonophysics, 183: 187-205.

Garrison C S, Kilburn C R J, Edwards S J, 2018. The 1831 eruption of Babuyan Claro that never happened: has the source of one of the largest volcanic climate forcing events of the nineteenth century been misattributed?. Journal of Applied Volcanology 7:8 . https://doi.org/10.1186/s13617-018-0078-9

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Neumann van Padang M, 1953. Philippine Islands and Cochin China. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 2: 1-49.

PHIVOLCS, 2018-. Volcanoes of the Philippines. https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/volcano-hazard/volcanoes-of-the-philippines.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 7 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1924 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption

Smith volcano

1924 - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Smith volcano

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	1924	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

1919 May Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption

Smith volcano

1919 May - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Smith volcano

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion	Uncertain
	1919 May	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

1918 May 17 - 1918 May 19 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption

Smith volcano

1918 May 17 - 1918 May 19

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Smith volcano

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	1918 May 17	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

1917 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption

Smith volcano

1917 - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Smith volcano

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion	Uncertain
	1917	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1913 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

Babuyan Claro

1913 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at Babuyan Claro

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Phreatic activity	Uncertain
- - - -	- - - -	Fumarolic or Solfataric	Uncertain
1913	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

1907 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption

Smith volcano

1907 - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Smith volcano

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Phreatic activity
	1907	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

1860 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption

Babuyan Claro

1860 - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Babuyan Claro

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	1860	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1831 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

Babuyan Claro

1831 - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at Babuyan Claro

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Ash	violent, strong, or large
- - - -	- - - -	Property Damage
1831	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

1652 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 3

Episode 1 | Eruption

Smith volcano

1652 - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Smith volcano

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	1652	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Babuyan Claro.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Babuyan Claro.

Photo Gallery

Mount Babuyan is the youngest of five Pleistocene-to-Holocene volcanic centers on the island of Babuyan Claro. The largest edifice is the active Mt. Pangasun (Babuyan Claro), with two summit craters 300 and 400 m in diameter. Both Babuyan Claro and Smith volcanoes have apparently been active in historical time, although which volcano produced the eruptions is not certain.

NASA Landsat image, 2000 (courtesy of Hawaii Synergy Project, Univ. of Hawaii Institute of Geophysics & Planetology).

Babuyan (also called Smith volcano) in the foreground is one of five Pleistocene-to-Holocene volcanic centers occupying Babuyan de Claro Island N of Luzon. The symmetrical scoria cone is the youngest volcano on the island. Both the higher Babuyan Claro (Mt. Pangasun) and Babuyan have apparently been active in historical time, although the identity of the erupting volcano is not always certain.

Photo by Bing Ramos, 2006 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Didicas_Volcano_1.jpg).

Babuyan Claro is one of five Pleistocene-to-Holocene volcanic centers occupying Babuyan de Claro Island north of Luzon. The largest edifice is Mt. Pangasun with two summit craters 300 and 400 m in diameter. Adjacent edifices include Mount Cayonan, Mount Naydi, and Mount Dionisio; the youngest volcano on the island is Smith volcano. Askedna Hot Spring is located at the southern base of Babuyan Claro.

Photo courtesy of PHIVOLCS.

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Babuyan Claro in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Babuyan Claro. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Babuyan Claro. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Babuyan Claro

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).