Kanlaon Volcano spews ash on New Year’s Eve

MANILA, Philippines — The Kanlaon Volcano emitted ash on the morning of Tuesday, December 31, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs recorded the ash emission activity of Kanlaon Volcano from 8:01 a.m. to 8:43 a.m. and 8:56 a.m. to 10:07 a.m.

The agency estimated the ash plumes to be 150 to 200 meters high, bringing the total number of ash emissions to 16 since Monday.

LOOK: Time-lapse footage of ash emissions from the Kanlaon Volcano summit crater recorded between 08:01AM-08:43AM and 08:56AM-10:07AM today. These events generated grayish plumes that rose 150-200 meters above the crater before drifting west as recorded by the IP Cameras in Brgy.… pic.twitter.com/OPLFhzkNB1

— PHIVOLCS-DOST (@phivolcs_dost) December 31, 2024

As of December 30, the Phivolcs said that Kanlaon has emitted a total of 7,079 tonnes of sulfur dioxide gas.

The volcano emitted thick plumes rising up to 300 meters, accompanied by continuous degassing and sporadic ash emissions drifting west-northwest, northwest and west.

Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3, indicating significant volcanic unrest. The activity is driven by magmatic intrusion into the volcano's shallow layers, indicating the potential for a hazardous eruption in the coming weeks.

Possible threats from the volcano include sudden explosive eruptions, lava flows, ashfall, pyroclastic density currents rockfalls and lahars during heavy rainfall.

The danger zone around the volcano has been extended to a six-kilometer radius from the summit crater or active vent.

Kanlaon erupted on December 9 which resulted in agricultural damage of P33.5 million in Westerm Visayas, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

A total of 298.05 hectares of crops were impacted, with 34.54 hectares deemed "beyond recovery" and the remaining 263.51 hectares classified as "partially damaged" but with the potential to recover.

Approximately 830 farmers and fisherfolk in Western Visayas were affected by the volcano's activity.