Explosions continue at Bulusan

A quick update on the ongoing explosions at Bulusan in the Philippines. The volcano is still in a state of unrest, with frequent small explosions producing minor ash falls around Bulusan. This comes after a much larger explosion that occurred on Sunday (see below) of this week. That explosion was large enough to prompt evacuations of the area near the volcano – and for the Philippine government and the New People’s Army to call a truce in the area near Bulusan. All of this in the name of relief efforts for the people who had to leave their homes, which right now stands at ~3,500 people in 11 shelters. Since Sunday, the volcano has calmed down, with fewer earthquakes under the edifice than before the weekend and sulfur dioxide emissions at ~10 tonnes/day. with Most of the ash from Sunday’s explosion has been cleared. However, despite all this drama, PHIVOLCS has kept Bulusan at Alert Level 1 (of 4) as they still have not seen signs of new magma in the eruptive products from these explosions.

An explosion at Bulusan in the Philippines on November 19, 2010. The plume eventually reached ~2 km in height.

Top left: Another image of the November 19 explosion.