A second minor phreatomagmatic eruption occurs at the Taal Volcano Main Crater at 8:09 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. — Screengrab from Phivolcs/Facebook
LUCENA CITY — Taal Volcano in Batangas province displayed signs of volcanic unrest after recording increased seismic activity and two short-lived phreatomagmatic eruptions over the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on Wednesday.
In its Wednesday (July 22) morning bulletin, Phivolcs said the volcano registered 10 volcanic earthquakes and four episodes of volcanic tremor lasting from one to 129 minutes.
The latest figures marked an increase from the previous day’s monitoring, when only single-digit seismic events were recorded. No volcanic tremor was logged on July 12 and July 14.
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READ: Taal Volcano logs 4th minor phreatomagmatic eruption for July
The volcano’s highest seismic activity so far this month was recorded on July 6, when Phivolcs detected 120 volcanic earthquakes and 113 volcanic tremors.
Phivolcs explained that volcanic earthquakes are generated by magma-related processes beneath or near an active volcano, while volcanic tremors are continuous low-frequency seismic signals that can persist for more than a minute.
The heightened seismic activity on Tuesday (July 21) coincided with two phreatomagmatic eruptions. The first occurred at 2:29 p.m. and lasted about three minutes, while the second took place at 8:09 p.m. and lasted four minutes.
With the latest events, Taal Volcano has recorded five phreatomagmatic eruptions this month.
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Phivolcs data showed that previous minor eruptions occurred on July 17 (one minute), July 16 (two and a half minutes), and July 12 (three minutes).
A phreatomagmatic eruption occurs when rising magma comes into explosive contact with water. It differs from a phreatic eruption, which is steam-driven and happens when groundwater or surface water is rapidly heated by magma, lava, or hot rocks.
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During the latest monitoring period, Taal Volcano emitted 129 metric tons of sulfur dioxide. The volcanic plume rose approximately 2,800 meters and was classified by Phivolcs as a “voluminous” plume.
No volcanic smog (vog) or upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the Main Crater Lake was observed during the monitoring period.
Despite the increased activity, Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1, indicating low-level volcanic unrest. Phivolcs emphasized that the current alert status does not mean volcanic unrest has ended or that the possibility of hazardous activity has been eliminated. /das
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