Active volcanoes in the Philippines

1. Mayon in Albay

Mayon is a classic stratovolcano with a small central summit crater. The cone is considered
the world's most perfectly formed volcano for its symmetry, which was formed through
layers of lava flows and pyroclastic surges from past eruptions and erosion.

Eruption effects and causes:

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Some P185 million in crops have been destroyed in Albay
due to Mayon volcano's eruptions, affecting at least 9,791 farmers and around 7,131
hectares of land here.

Che Rebeta, provincial agricultural officer of the Albay Public Safety Emergency
Management Office (Apsemo) office, reported the damages to agricultural crops
reached P185,281,979. This was up from P94 million last January 26.

The provincial agricultural office reported rice plantations covering 5,375.95 hectares
and worth about P160,496,550 was lost. The rice losses affected 5,750 farmers.

The next badly-affected plantations were vegetable plantations covering 958.51

hectares of land and affecting 3,092 farmers.
 2. Taal in Batangas

Taal Volcano is a complex volcanolocated on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is

the second most active volcano in the Philippines with 33 historical eruptions. All of these
eruptions are concentrated onVolcano Island, an island near the middle of Taal Lake.

Eruption effects and causes:

The 1754 eruption is, to date, Taal Volcano's biggest eruption. Beginning on May 15,
1754 and ending on December 5 that year, it buried 4 Batangas towns under ash,
volcanic rocks, and water.

It brought about days of ink-black darkness and changed the topography and
characteristics of the Taal Volcano and Lake system.
3. Kanlaon in Negros Island

Kanlaon volcano (also spelled Kanlaon), the most active of the central Philippines,
forms the highest point on the island of Negros. The massive 2435-m-high stratovolcano
is dotted with fissure-controlled pyroclastic cones and craters, many of which are filled
by lakes.

Eruption effects and causes:

THREE localities in Negros Occidental were affected by the ashfall spewed by Mount Kanlaon in
Negros Island Region after its eruption Saturday morning.

Light sulfuric odor was also detected in Barangay Ara-al.

Based on visual observation, the series of steam and ash eruptions from the crater of Mount
Kanlaon, which started 9:19 a.m. and lasted for 27 minutes, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Office (CDRRMO) of Canlaon City reported.

The first was a steam and ash explosion that produced a light gray to white steam plume that rose
to about 1,500 meters and later lofted to about three kilometers above the summit.

This was followed by an ash eruption, which produced a thick, black, ash plume that rose to about
500 meters. The last one was characterized by emission of grayish ash plume that rose to about
500 meters, the Canlaon CDRRMO added.

After the eruption, moderate steaming of plumes was seen from the summit, and the crater was
covered with clouds.
 4. Bulusan in Sorsogon

Bulusan is classified by volcanologists as a stratovolcano (or a composite cone) and

covers the northeast rim of Irosin caldera that was formed about 40,000 years ago. It
has a peak elevation of 1,565 m (5,135 ft) above sea level with a base diameter of 15
km (9.3 mi).

Eruption effects and causes:

The phreatic explosion occurred around 11:35 a.m., according to reports from Raffy Alejandro,
director of the Office of Civil Defense in the Bicol Region. It lasted for five minutes, according to an
advisory from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Estimated height of ash/steam, plume/cloud may reach 2,000 meters, Alejandro said.

Areas affected may include villages located at the Western part of the province, said Phivolcs
resident volcanologist in Sorsogon City Crispolo Diolata in an interview over radio dzMM.