A video shared by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology shows the moment Mount Kanlaon explosively erupted on Monday prompting evacuations in communities nearby.
A volcano in the central Philippines experienced an “explosive eruption” on Monday, prompting officials to call for evacuations as plumes of smoke and ash billowed thousands of feet into the sky.
According to information provided by the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the Kanlaon volcano erupted just after 3 p.m. local time and sent pyroclastic flows racing down the southeastern side of the volcano based on observations from thermal camera monitors.
A video recorded in the central Philippines shows the explosive eruption of the Kanlaon volcano on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said a pyroclastic flow contains hot lava, pumice, ash and other volcanic gas that move at high speeds down the slopes of volcanoes.
As a result of the eruption at Mount Kanlaon, PHIVOLCS raised the alert level at the volcano to Alert Level 3, or magmatic unrest.
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This image shows smoke and ash shooting into the sky after the Kanlaon volcano in the Philippines explosively erupted on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.
(PHIVOLCS/Reuters / FOX Weather)
“This means magmatic eruption has begun that may progress to further explosive eruptions,” the agency said in a volcano statement.
Officials said local governments have been urged to evacuate communities within 6 kilometers (nearly 4 miles) of the volcano’s summit and to be prepared for additional evacuations if activity warrants.
The Kanlaon volcano is among dozens of volcanoes in the Philippines within the Pacific-wide Ring of Fire, where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are common. Last week, a powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California, briefly prompting officials to issue a Tsunami Warning along the U.S. West Coast.