VOLCANIC HAZARDS

What is a VOLCANO?
The term VOLCANO refers to a vent, hill or
mountain from which molten or hot rocks with
gaseous materials are ejected. The term also
applies to craters, hills or mountains formed by
removal of pre-existing materials or by
accumulation of ejected materials.
 Classification of Volcanoes
Active
– Eruption in historic times
– Historical record - 500 years
– C14 dating - 10,000 years
– Local seismic activity
– Oral / folkloric history

Potentially Active
– Solfotaras / Fumaroles
– Geologically young (possibly erupted < 10,000 years and for
calderas and large systems - possibly < 25,000 years).
– Young-looking geomorphology (thin soil cover/sparse vegetation;
low degree of erosion and dissection; young vent featuresl; +/-
vegetation cover).
– Suspected seismic activity.
– Documented local ground deformation
– Geochemical indicators of magmatic involvement.
– Geophysical proof of magma bodies.
– Strong connection with subduction zones and external tectonic
settings.

Inactive
– No record of eruption and its form is beginning to change by the
agents of weathering and erosion via formation of deep and long
gullies.
 Volcanic Eruption
A process wherein molten rock materials are
emitted or ejected in the form of flowing
masses, discrete particles and steam from a
crater, vent or fissure.

WHAT CAUSES A VOLCANO TO ERUPT?

Changes in pressure and temperature in the
magma chamber
 Types of Volcanic Eruptions
• classified according to:
• what propels the eruption
• character of eruption itself
• nature of materials ejected
• 6 Types:

 Strombolian Plinian

Vulcanian  Phreatomagmatic

 Pelean  Phreatic
eruption resulting from the release of
large quantities of accumulated
magmatic gas which lifts fine ash and
block from the magma with great
force high in the air forming
voluminous cauliflower clouds.
• occurs when a gas-rich pasty lava accumulates to
form a dome on the volcano edifice either on or
beneath its surface
• caused by release of large quantities of gas from a
near- or at- surface extremely viscous magma that
hurls out ash and other pyroclastic materials
eruption of great violence
characterized by
voluminous explosive
ejections of pumice and
ash flows with tall eruption
column
explosion driven by steam produced by
heating and expansion of groundwater due to
an underlying hot source.
results from the simultaneous
ejection of fresh magmatic
materials and steam produced
by the contact of groundwater
with ascending magma.
 Volcanic
Hazards
Volcano-related
phenomena that
pose potential
threat or cause
negative impact to
man, property and
the environment in
a given period of
time.
 stream-like flows of
hot, incandescent,
molten materials that
are erupted quietly
from a volcano

Lava Flow from 1984 Mauna Loa eruption.

(from Volcanic & Seismic Hazards on the Island of Hawaii, 1986)
Lava Flow Mayon Volcano, 1984
 Lava Flow
Impact

Hawaii
turbulent hot mass of ejected
fragmented volcanic
materials (ash & rocks),
mixed with hot gases that
flow downslope at very high
speed (>60kph)
showers of fine- to coarse-grained volcanic materials
and other airborne products of a volcanic eruption
Clark Air Base Olongapo City

Ashfall impact of
Pinatubo Volcano, 1991

Castillejos, Zambales
 some of the basic components of magma or lava (H2O, CO2, CO,
H2S, HF, SO2, etc.) released into the atmosphere during eruptions

VOLCANIC GAS IMPACT:

Plants damaged by volcanic flume

from Pu’u’O’o vent 12 miles away.
(from Volc. & Seismic Hazards in the
Island of Hawaii,1986)
rapidly flowing thick mixture of volcanic sediments and
water; contains 20% to 80% sediments by volume

Mayon, 1993

Mayon

Pinatubo
Lahar Impact

Pampanga
Post-1991 Pinatubo

Agoho, Mambajao
Oct. 25, 1950
 Lahar Impact

After (October 1995)

Pinatubo Volcano

Before (27 July 1994)

SMITH 22 Active
Volcanoes in the
Philippines
MOUNT IRAYA

LOCATION
• 12.8n, 124.1E
• Batan Island, Batanes

ERUPTION
• 1464
BABUYAN CLARO
LOCATION ERUPTION
• 19.5N, 121.9 E • 1831
• NNE across Babuyan
Channel
MOUNT SMITH

LOCATION
• 20.33N, 121.75 E
• Ibugos Island (southern
end of Batan Island chain)

ERUPTION
• 1924

Underwater Volcano
MOUNT DIDICAS

LOCATION
• 19.077N, 122.202 E
• 22 km NE of Camiguin
Island

ERUPTION
• 1978

Submerged Volcano
CAMIGUIN DE
BABUYANES

LOCATION
• 18.83 N, 121.860 E
• 22 kms long in
Camiguin Island in the
Babuyan Archipelago

ERUPTION
• 1857
MOUNT CAGUA
LOCATION ERUPTION

• 18.133 N, 122.3 E • 1860

• Gonzaga, Cagayan
Mitigation of Volcanic Hazards
Information Campaign
• Scientific reports
• Popular information packages
• Seminars, workshops
• Coordination with NDCC, LGUs

PHIVOLCS Quick Response Team (QRT)

Mitigation of Volcanic Hazards:
Public Education and
Preparedness

Teach the
public, school
children and
parents what to
do during and
after occurrence
of volcanic
hazards