33 volcanic quakes rock Mt. Bulusan

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 33 volcanic earthquakes related to Mt. Bulusan’s volcanic activity on Monday.It said one of the recorded quakes was an explosion type that accompanied the ash emission at 7:22 a.m. last Sunday.A two-kilometer ash column coupled by a grayish steam was monitored last Nov. 21, obscuring the volcano’s summit for most of the day.During the early morning on Monday, a weak emission of white steam from the volcano’s crater and known thermal vents was observed.The alert status around Mt. Bulusan remained at Level 1, which means that the public is not allowed to enter the four-kilometer radius of the Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) because the area is at risk to sudden steam and ash explosions.Earlier, volcanologist Julio Sabit said more explosions are expected tooccur in the coming days due to the volcano’s recent reactivation.But he said there are no indications that there will be a strong explosion similar to Mt. Bulusan’s activity in 2006-2007.Due to the prevailing wind direction, residents located in the northwest and southwest sectors of the volcano are advised to take precautions against ash falls.Phivolcs advised civil aviation authorities to warn pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ejected ash and volcanic fragments from sudden explosions may pose hazards to aircraft.