By Alexandria Dennise San Juan  Taal Volcano’s "hazardous explosive eruption" is still possible as stronger and more frequent seismic swarms or series of quakes continue to occur inside the volcano, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned. Dr. Renato Solidum
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum, Jr. said on Tuesday that the volcano shows no signs of slowing down as its main crater continues to spew lava and ash, triggering a series of tremors in the area. While lesser volcanic activities have been observed in the surface crater of Taal such as weaker lava fountaining, Solidum said strong and recurring volcanic quakes indicate that there is still a movement of magma beneath Taal Volcano's edifice which may lead to an explosive eruption. According to Phivolcs' Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division Chief Mariton Bornas, 355 volcanic quakes were recorded near Taal from Sunday afternoon prior to its phreatic (steam-driven) eruption up to 10 a.m. Tuesday. "These earthquakes were measured with magnitude of up to 4.1 and were felt with intensities ranging from Intensity I to V in Tagaytay City in Cavite, and Alitagtag, Lemery, Sto. Tomas, and Talisay in Batangas," Bornas said in a press conference on Tuesday. Bornas pointed out that the tremblors recorded in areas near the volcano were slightly stronger for a volcanic earthquake, meaning there is a continued movement of significant volume of magma beneath Taal. Fissures have also been found in Lemery and Talisay in Batangas. "Itong mga na-o-observe natin na tuluy-tuloy na paglindol na malalakas, kasama ng fissuring, ay naghuhudyat na meron talagang magma na umaakyat pa sa Taal." (The continuous strong tremors we are observing, along with fissuring, are signs that there really is still magma rising in Taal.) While more volcanic activities are expected to occur in Taal in the coming days, Solidum said eruptions are unpredictable because these depend on the pace of the movement of magma. "Hindi natin masasabi kung anong oras o araw posible itong sumabog kasi depende ito sa bilis ng pag-akyat ng magma at kung tuluy-tuloy ito na mangyayari." (We can’t say what time or day the volcano will erupt because this depends on the rise of magma and if this happens continuously.) The Phivolcs director said the possibility of Taal's hazardous explosive eruption is not being set aside and could happen within hours to days as its danger level remains at 4, a notch below the highest alert level. Level 5, the highest, indicates an ongoing eruption. "Isa sa sa mga pinaka-importanteng basehan kung bakit tayo nagtaas ng Alert Level 4 ay dahil sa mga lindol na nangyayari. Dumadami pa nga ito at lumalakas," Solidum added. "Gusto naming i-detach muna ang nakikita ninyo visually. Patuloy ang malalakas na paglindol, most likely patuloy rin yung pag angat ng magma." (One of the most important reasons for our raising Alert Level 4 is because of the tremors. They are increasing in frequency and strength. We want to detach what you see visually. With the continuous strong tremors, it is likely that magma is also still rising.) With this, Phivolcs reiterated its call to local government units as well as residents near the volcano to immediately evacuate the area as a precaution for an imminent eruption. "We strongly remind everyone that there is still a need to evacuate the Taal Volcano, the lake, and the high risk areas around the volcano included in the hazard map that we issued due to the potential explosive eruption such as base surges, volcanic tsunami, landslide, fissuring, volcanic gas, and liquefaction," Bornas said. State volcanologists noted that Taal Volcano's activity in the past 24 hours has been characterized by the continuous eruption of the main crater due to "magmatic" and "hydrovolcanic" activity which are generated by the interaction of magma and lava with water. Based on the latest Phivolcs bulletin, Taal belched a 500-meter tall lava fountain, or a spray of hot rocks and gases, as well as dark gray steam-laden plumes at least two kilometers tall. This ash cloud was dispersed to the southwest and west part of the main crater due to the shift in wind direction, and showered the municipalities of Lemery, Talisay, Taal, and Cuenca in Batangas with heavy ash fall. Flashes of volcanic lightning were also observed at the base of the degassing plumes on Tuesday morning, while new vents opened in the northern side of the volcano after it spewed lava fountains on Monday. Though tagged as the world's smallest volcano, Taal is also one of the deadliest following its violent eruptions in 1754, 1911, and 1965 causing thousands of casualties in the wake of its various volcanic hazards. Taal Volcano's sudden eruption on Sunday amid signs of its restiveness in recent months caught thousands of unaware residents by surprise, prompting them to immediately leave their homes for safety. Prior to its recent eruption, Phivolcs said Taal has not erupted since 1977 but there were volcanic unrest recorded in 2011, 2012, and 2014. It is among the 24 active volcanoes in the country, with at least 34 eruptions recorded since 1572. READ MORE: Quake hits Agoncillo, Batangas anew READ MORE: NDRRMC: 286 volcanic quakes recorded in Taal