Mt. Pinatubo's alert status back to 'normal'
MANILA, Philippines — State volcanologists on Thursday lowered the alert status of Mount Pinatubo to Level 0 from Level 1 due to “continued decline” in activity.
Alert Level 0 indicates normal status, while Alert Level 1 means low-level unrest.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said that since July 1, 2021, there has been a decline in earthquake activity in the volcano and a return to baseline seismic parameters.
“This means observational parameters have returned to baseline levels and the volcano has returned to a period of quiescence,” it added.
Phivolcs noted that the frequency of volcanic earthquakes and the diffuse carbon dioxide flux from the Pinatubo Crater Lake have decreased.
Data also showed that the ground deformation detected is “likely tectonic, rather than volcanic, in origin.”
However, Pinatubo’s alert status may be raised again if an increase in any of the monitoring parameters occurs, Phivolcs said.
It cautioned against the entry into the Pinatubo crater area due to “perennial hazards of rockfalls, landslides and expulsions of lethal volcanic CO2.”
Last March, state volcanologists raised Alert Level 1 over Pinatubo due to persistent seismic activity.
Pinatubo last erupted on June 15, 1991. It was the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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