A major volcano in the central Philippines erupted at 3:03 p.m. local time today (Dec. 9), spewing a column of ash and gas as high as 1.86 miles (3 kilometers) into the sky, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
Thermal and X-ray camera monitors recorded pyroclastic density currents — hot flows of ash and debris that touch the ground and can travel hundreds of feet per second — descending down the slopes of Mount Kanlaon. Local government units have advised people to evacuate a 3.7-mile (6-kilometer) radius around the site, and the country’s civil defense office has said the immediate evacuation of 87,000 people has already begun.
In a statement, PHIVOLCS representatives warned that the volcano “may be headed toward further explosive eruptions.” The Kanlaon volcano is one of two dozen active volcanoes in the Philippines and is located in the central provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the country and has already erupted once this year on June 3, 2024. Before that, its last eruption was in December 2017.
This latest eruption comes after several weeks of volcanic unrest in the region. According to PHIVOLCS, the summit crater has been continuously leaking gas and occasionally spewing ash since October 19.
Five to 26 earthquakes have been recorded daily in the surrounding area since late November.
PHIVOLCS has raised the volcano’s alert level to Alert Level 3 – the agency’s highest classification of volcanic unrest and the third-highest alert level overall. Alert Level 3 indicates that the unrest is being caused by magmatic intrusion into the shallow levels of the volcano’s cone, and a “hazardous eruption” could occur within a few weeks.
The next level on the scale, Alert Level 4, is assigned when a low-level magmatic eruption is taking place, which could turn into a highly dangerous major eruption – Alert Level 5 – within a few hours or days.
Meanwhile, PHIVOLCS continues to monitor pyroclastic density currents on the southeastern flanks of the volcano. According to the British Geological Survey, these currents are “inherently unpredictable” and are “probably the most dangerous event for local areas” during explosive volcanic eruptions.