TAAL volcano in the Philippines has reawakened, spewing lava, steam and ash into the air and sparking violent lightning. Volcanologists believe it may be warming up for bigger eruptions.
The volcano is located in Taal Lake in the province of Batangas. Since March last year, it has been more frequently leaking gas and trembling with thousands of small earthquakes, leading scientists to believe it was coming back to life.
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On the afternoon of 12 January, Taal erupted, shooting a column of steam and ash 15 kilometres into the sky that caused lightning. The following morning, 500-metre-high fountains of lava were seen spurting from the volcano.
All 450,000 people living within a 14-kilometre radius of the volcano have been asked to evacuate and flights in and out of聽Manila, which is 60 kilometres north of Taal, have been partially suspended. Residents have been advised to wear dust masks in towns where ash has fallen to prevent lung irritation.
So far, the volcano has released an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide since the eruption began. This may lead聽to a small amount of global cooling, because sulphur dioxide and ash block sunlight, says Fred Prata at Curtin University in Australia. The 1991 eruption of another volcano in the country, Mount Pinatubo, cooled the global temperature by 0.5掳C.
Scientists don鈥檛 know why Taal聽is erupting now, after being dormant for more than four decades, says Raymond Cas at Monash University in Australia. 鈥淰olcanoes can go through phases where they erupt regularly but most tend to be unpredictable.鈥�
Taal could have bigger eruptions soon, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. These could be accompanied by fast-moving blasts of hot steam and ash called pyroclastic surges if lake water continuously flows into the volcano and reacts with magma, and tsunamis in the lake, says Cas.
Taal could remain active for years, says Cas. It was last active from 1965 to 1977.