• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The so-called crater glow yesterday morning was actually a superheated plume of ash emission from Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Island, according to an expert of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief of the Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division, gave an explanation in response to a viral photo, taken by nature photographer John Kimwell Laluma, showing an alleged crater glow at the volcano.
In a Facebook post, Laluma said he planned to take a picture of the Milky Way Galactic Center when he had spotted a glow at the mouth of the volcano.
He used a telephoto lens to come up with a close-up picture of the glow.
Bornas said they have been detecting the superheated plume of ash emissions since November last year.
“We have been recording the same since November. That’s because cameras have infrared capabilities. They can see heat with the right setting. The photos are even long-exposure based on the starfield. The glow on those photos are an artifact of camera technology. Kung may crater glow po kami na ang magsasabi niyan (If there is a crater glow, we will be the one to declare it),” she added.
Bornas further said: “If there is a crater glow, ito po ay indikasyon na magkakaroon po tayo ng lava flow or lava fountaining event (it is an indication that there will be lava flow, or lava fountaining event), citing what had happened at Mayon Volcano in 1749 or Taal Volcano in 1754.
As of Feb. 2, Phivolcs said that Alert Level 3 remains hoisted over Mt. Kanlaon.
It also recorded 11 volcanic quakes, including two volcanic tremors, which lasted three to four minutes, and logged 4,328 tons of sulfur dioxide emission as high as 150 meters. | GB