WATCH: A volcano 40 miles outside Mexico City erupted with a massive gush of lava, spewing ash almost 20,000 feet in the air

Kat Tenbarge Jan 12, 2020
 

The most active volcano in Mexico, Popocatépetl, erupted on Thursday and spewed ash nearly 20,000 feet in the air. Screenshot YouTube/webcamsdemexico

The most active volcano in Mexico erupted on Thursday in a stunning visual display of fiery lava and drifting ash that rose nearly 20,000 feet in the air.

NPR reports that the stratovolcano, Popocatépetl, is a little over 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. No one was injured by the blast, but Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED) warned people to stay away from the site of the eruption.

The explosion was captured by CENAPRED in a recording that shows both the lava erupting from the mouth of the volcano and the ash clouds afterward.

At 17,700 feet, Popocatépetl is North America's second-highest volcano and is monitored 24 hours a day by more than 20 specialized devices. It also erupted twice in July.

Mexico's most active volcano, Popocatépetl, erupted again on Thursday, sending an ash plume nearly 20,000 feet in the air. The fiery lava explosion was also caught on camera by Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED), and the 43-second clip shows off the dramatic natural phenomenon.

NPR reports that no one was injured by the blast from the stratovolcano, which occurred a little over 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. But CENAPRED set the warning level at "yellow phase 2," meaning there's no imminent danger but people should stay away from the volcano and its crater.

The ash plume could be spotted from miles away, including in nearby cities and towns, like Puebla, Mexico. The towering column of ash and smoke was photographed drifting above the city.
 

The Popocatepetl Volcano spews ash and smoke as seen from Puebla, central Mexico, on January 9, 2020. Photo by Carlos SANCHEZ/AFP

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also captured the volcano and its staggering ash plume with satellites that detected sulfur dioxide and isolated the cloud on video for a stunning visual.
—NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) January 9, 2020

Popocatépetl also erupted twice in July 2019. At 17,700 feet, it is North America's second-highest volcano, and is monitored 24 hours a day by more than 20 specialized devices.

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HONG KONG PROTEST UPDATES

China is global threat to individual freedoms, says new Human Rights Watch report
Group’s executive director had been scheduled to unveil the report in Hong Kong but was barred from entering at the airport on Sunday
Other governments, including the US and UK, are criticised for not finding ‘a common voice’ on China’s repression

Jodi Xu Klein in New York Published:15 Jan, 2020

Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, introduces the group’s 2020 World Report at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

The Chinese government fears “people’s desire for democracy” and its repression of human rights is “an existential threat to the world”, the investigative and advocacy group Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday at the launch of its World Report 2020 in New York.

The release of the annual report had already made headlines when immigration officials at the Hong Kong airport turned away the group’s executive director, Kenneth Roth, without explanation on Sunday. He had been scheduled to unveil the report in the city on Wednesday.

“We’d hoped to hold this event in Hong Kong, but Chinese government had a different idea,” Roth said on Tuesday at the United Nations headquarters.

“Beijing claimed the report had instigated the Hong Kong people’s movement for democracy,” Roth said. “The stance by Beijing is insulting to Hong Kong. It shows Chinese government’s fear of people’s desire for democracy.”

The Chinese government has long suppressed human rights at home. Now it is trying to suppress global efforts to defend human rights. The rights of everyone, and our future, are at stake. That's the theme of this years's @HRW World Report. https://t.co/9ahp2wVt2h pic.twitter.com/KPybJyg0mY — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) January 14, 2020This year’s report, a 652-page review of human rights practices in nearly 100 countries, focused on the Chinese government’s role in the world.

The global system for protecting human rights is under threat from China under President Xi Jinping, the group said.

“It seems the Chinese government sees human rights as an existential threat. But their stance against human rights is an existential threat to the world,” Roth said.

The report cited China’s continued forced detention of some 1 million Uygurs and other Muslims in the far western autonomous region of Xinjiang.

Pompeo stresses Hong Kong autonomy, urges slamming China over Uygur abuse

The Chinese authorities have further expanded their assault on freedom of expression, including arresting journalists and prosecuting activists, Roth said.

He also said that without proper defences, the world could be threatened by “a dystopian future in which no one is beyond the reach of Chinese censors”.

China has embarked on a global promotional campaign to blunt criticism of its human rights record and has received the support of governments in Russia, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar, Belarus and Saudi Arabia.

More concerning, said the report, is that “several important governments have been missing in action”.

“That included the US and the European Union, which has been diverted by Brexit, and find it difficult to find a common voice in human rights.”

Hong Kong immigration denies entry to Human Rights Watch executive director
“Others, like Pakistan, are simply bought off. When the prime minister of Pakistan visited Beijing, he had nothing to say regarding Xinjiang.”

“The Trump administration has at times stood up to China, including imposing sanctions against China in October,” said Roth. “But more often, [US President Donald] Trump has praised Xi Jinping.”

China is also silencing business communities by threatening their access to the massive Chinese market, which accounts for about 16 per cent of the global GDP, Roth said.
The government has also targeted academic freedom worldwide, the report said. In Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, pro-Beijing students have sought to shut down controversial debates about China.

Why China’s crackdown on academic freedom will backfire

Tuesday’s news conference at the United Nations Correspondents Association was interrupted by a Chinese official who told Roth “the report is full of prejudices and has ignored facts”.

“I completely reject the content in the report,” said Xing Jisheng, a Chinese mission representative at the UN. “Any report talking about Chinese human rights fails to be balanced and neutral.”

Roth asked for specifics about what the report got wrong.

Xing said China was a great success story because it had freed its people from poverty, to which Sophie Richardson, the China director at Human Rights Watch, responded: “The Chinese people got themselves out of poverty after the government took the boot off of their neck.”

Rally in Hong Kong to thank US for supporting the Human Rights and Democracy Act
Beijing has made the UN a primary target as it has routinely worked against proposed measures and the global human rights framework, the report said.

“The Chinese government’s attacks on human rights systems must be stopped,” Roth said. “The ascent of a global threat to rights is not unstoppable. The governments should band together.”

Roth, an American citizen, returned to the United States after being barred from entering Hong Kong at the city’s international airport on Sunday.

On December 2, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the government would impose sanctions against Human Rights Watch and four other US-based non-profit groups that “played an egregious role” in the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Those remarks came after Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which could pave the way for diplomatic action and economic sanctions against the city’s government.

Jodi Xu Klein is an award-winning business journalist with 20 years of experience. She joined the Post in 2017, after a decade based in the US reporting for The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. She was part of the Time Magazine team that won the Henry R. Luce Award, breaking the China SARS story


Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth says barring him from Hong Kong is ‘sad and troubling’ reflection of Beijing pressure

The group’s executive director said immigration officials at the airport refused him entry to Hong Kong without explanation 

Roth plans to unveil human rights report, which is highly critical of China, in New York instead, as city officials refuse to comment on case

Lilian Cheng andDanny Mok 12 Jan, 2020

Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth had visited Hong Kong multiple times in the past. Photo: Sam Tsang

The head of Human Rights Watch who was barred from entering Hong Kong said on Monday he was saddened at how the city had deteriorated under pressure from Beijing, as he vowed to unveil his report in New York instead.

Kenneth Roth, the group’s executive director and an American citizen, returned to the United States after Hong Kong immigration authorities turned him away at the city's international airport on Sunday without explanation, according to the organisation.

He had planned to visit the city to launch the New York-based group’s “World Report 2020”, which includes a lead essay on the Chinese government’s “assault” on the international human rights system.

Hong Kong immigration denies entry to Human Rights Watch executive director

An Immigration Department spokeswoman said it would not comment on individual cases.

She added that when handling cases, the department would, in accordance with the laws and immigration policies, fully consider all relevant factors and circumstances of the case before deciding whether the entry should be allowed or not.

Roth said: “I had hoped to spotlight Beijing’s deepening assault on international efforts to uphold human rights. The refusal to let me enter Hong Kong vividly illustrates the problem.”

Roth, who had flown in from New York, later wrote on Twitter: “Despite my probing, the Hong Kong immigration authorities would say only (and repeatedly) that they were barring me for ‘immigration reasons’. They wouldn’t even own up to the real reason.”

“It's sad and troubling how quickly things have deteriorated under pressure from Beijing,” he added.

“Trying to silence the human rights messenger shows a determination to flout, not uphold, human rights standards.”

The group was expected to release its 652-page report at a news conference in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The report reviews human rights practices in nearly 100 countries.

Roth’s essay says the Chinese government is undermining the global system for enforcing human rights.


Kenneth Roth had planned to release the group’s report on Wednesday. Photo: Sam Tsang

On his return to the US on Monday, Roth revealed he would launch the report at a news conference at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday “given that the authorities blocked me from entering Hong Kong.”

On December 2, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the Chinese government would impose sanctions against Human Rights Watch and four other US-based non-profit groups that “played an egregious role” in the disturbances in Hong Kong, in its response to Washington’s endorsement of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act , which could pave the way for diplomatic action and economic sanctions against the city’s government.

The other groups were the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the International Republican Institute and Freedom House.

The next day Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said her government would follow up on the sanctions announcement.

Roth has visited Hong Kong several times, including to release a report on gender discrimination in the Chinese job market in April 2018.

US author who documented Hong Kong protests says he was barred from city


The group also listed a number of other visitors who had been denied entry by Hong Kong immigration authorities, including a US photographer [Matthew Connors] who documented Hong Kong protests in January, US academic Dan Garrett last September, and United Kingdom-based founder of Hong Kong Watch Benedict Rogers in October 2017.

“This disappointing action is yet another sign that Beijing is tightening its oppressive grip on Hong Kong and further restricting the limited freedom Hong Kong people enjoy under ‘one country, two systems,’” Roth said, referring to the principle under which Hong Kong is governed.

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch co-wrote an open letter to Lam, urging her to set up an independent commission of inquiry to investigate alleged excessive use of force by police in the more than seven months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong.

“An independent commission of inquiry is the first step to addressing the serious human rights violations against protesters since June,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. The European Union also weighed in on the controversy. In a statement, European Commission spokeswoman Virginie Battu-Henriksson said denying entry to Roth “raises serious questions over Hong Kong’s traditions of openness and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression”.

“These principles are enshrined in the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights,” Battu-Henriksson said. “These principles are an integral part of Hong Kong's continuing success and we expect them to be upheld.”

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Barring me is sad and troubling, US rights leader says

Human rights

Hong Kong protests


Lilian Cheng
Lilian joined the Post in 2019 as senior reporter covering Hong Kong’s housing, land and development policies. She started her career at Ming Pao in 2010 and was then a principal reporter at i-Cable News. She has won awards for her reporting on a major discovery of Sung relics near the planned To Kwa Wan railway station.

Hong Kong / Law and Crime
Hong Kong protests: High Court test for warrants that let police search phones

Photographer whose unlawful assembly charges were dropped in November applies for judicial review

Writ states the documents effectively allowed ‘any police officer to search and seize the entire digital contents of [his] mobile phone’

Ng Kang-chung
Published: 11:30pm, 13 Jan, 2020

Protesters and police have repeatedly clashed on Hong Kong 

streets since June. Photo: Sam Tsang

A photographer who briefly faced charges over an anti-government protest has sought to challenge the legality of two court-issued warrants which allowed Hong Kong police to access his mobile phone and other digital devices.

Lee Wing-ho, 22, applied for a judicial review seeking that the High Court declare magistrates acted unlawfully in granting the warrants, and breached his constitutional right to freedom and privacy of communication.

In a writ filed on Monday, Lee claimed the warrants were too general, effectively authorising “any police officer to search and seize the entire digital contents of [his] mobile phone … without any limitation or conditions whatsoever imposed”.

“The magistrates have … failed to carry out the judicial gatekeeping function,” his writ read, adding that the subsequent police action to access the contents of his devices was an “oppressive, arbitrary or unconstitutional action”.

The writ was filed at the High Court on Monday. Photo: Roy Issa

Lee was arrested for unlawful assembly on Nathan Road during an anti-government protest in Mong Kok on August 3 last year. Upon his arrest, officers seized property including his mobile phone and some digital storage cards. He did not find out warrants had been issued for police to access his devices until October 23, when his case was about to go to court.

He also found out that the warrants would authorise police to enter an office at the force’s headquarters in Wan Chai where his devices were stored, along with about 50 phones and devices seized from other arrestees.

In his writ, Lee argued: “This is a chilling threat at a very fundamental level. A search warrant obtained by the police to access objects inside a police building is an abuse of process, an artifice.”

Top judge sets up task force to speed up dealing with protest cases
14 Jan 2020


“The police officers were given unchecked power to sift, copy, save, and retain any information they wished throughout that period, including new messages and communications.”

Phone-related privacy concerns were raised last month after pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, who was arrested in August over a protest in June, questioned whether police had abused their power to “hack” his password-protected phone after the prosecution in his case admitted instant messaging records as evidence. Wong said he had not given police the password.

Police later clarified that the procedure was conducted under a magistrate-issued search warrant.

Anti-government protests have rocked Hong Kong for more than seven months. Initially sparked by an extradition bill, which has since been withdrawn, the movement has broadened into a push for greater democracy and police accountability. Protesters and police have repeatedly clashed violently on city streets, and thousands have been arrested.

Dozens detained by police after march against parallel traders in Hong Kong’s Sheung Shui

During last week’s Legislative Council meeting, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu disclosed that police had seized more than 3,700 mobile phones used by protesters in the last several months of protests.

Lee maintained a “digital forensic examination” of the devices would only be conducted after getting a search warrant from the court.

“From June to November 2019, police processed 1,429 cases that involved mobile phones as evidence,” Lee told legislators at the meeting. “Among those cases, 3,721 mobile phones belonging to arrested persons or suspects were involved, and the relevant cases were all processed with search warrants issued by the court.”

Neither the police nor the judiciary replied to requests for comment.

Protester injured in eye loses court bid for access to police warrant

Hong Kong / Politics
Hong Kong protesters have been receiving training from foreign forces, city’s security chief says, while also revealing more than 3,700 phones were seized and broken into

John Lee said no evidence linked recent seizures of weapons and bombs to overseas terrorist organisations, but suggested some protesters were not acting alone
Opposition legislators said making such claims without providing proof was irresponsible

Natalie Wong,Sum Lok-kei,Ng Kang-chung
Published: 10:03pm, 8 Jan, 2020


“We don’t believe that a handful of unorganised rioters could orchestrate such events,” said John Lee. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Hong Kong’s security chief raised concerns on Wednesday that some anti-government protesters received training from “non-local” individuals to fuel the social unrest plaguing the city for seven months.

John Lee Ka-chiu became the first top official to go beyond speculation about the involvement of foreign forces to cite intelligence and the well-planned nature of the protests in making the allegation.

He said there was no evidence linking a recent, protest-related spate of weapon and bomb seizures by police to overseas terrorist organisations, but suggested some protesters were not acting on their own.

Lee also revealed police had seized 3,721 mobile phones from protesters in the first five months of unrest and had them broken into to read the contents.

John Lee said police would only access protesters’ phones after getting a court-ordered warrant. Photo: Edward Wong

Responding to a pro-establishment lawmaker’s question in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, the secretary for security said: “Based on the rioters’ acts, we definitely believe they received training.”

He did not name any organisation or individual, but said the assessment was based on the government’s investigation and intelligence concerning “how [protesters] were organised” and “the different versions and angles of promotional materials they have”.

“It seems that in every operation or incident, they will plan in advance with a deliberate plot in a syndicated manner,” Lee said. “In terms of resources and mobilisation, we don’t believe that a handful of unorganised rioters could orchestrate such events.”

Nobody should believe Lee’s empty accusation until he can prove his claimsAlvin Yeung, Civic Party leader

Lee added that online news had also indicated overseas groups were training individuals to join the movement.

Civic Party leader Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu said it was extremely irresponsible for Lee to make such accusations without proof.

He said the official was no different from former city leader Leung Chun-ying, who claimed foreign interference was behind the 2014 Occupy movement, but “at the end of the day proved nothing”.

“Nobody should believe Lee’s empty accusation until he can prove his claims,” Yeung said.

Pro-democracy lawmaker Kenneth Leung, of the Professionals Guild, accused Lee of making “irresponsible and serious accusations” without evidence.

“I can’t see why creativity demonstrated by protesters has to be linked to overseas training,” he said.


But pro-Beijing lawmaker Wong Kwok-kin, who is also an adviser to the city’s leader in the Executive Council, backed Lee.

Wong said he was convinced it would be impossible for protests to roll on for months without foreign manipulation.

Lee revealed in the same meeting that police had processed mobile phones belonging to arrested protesters from June to November with search warrants issued by the courts.

Kenneth Leung criticised Lee’s “irresponsible and serious accusations”. Photo: Winson Wong


“Police will only conduct a digital forensic examination on mobile phones after obtaining court warrants,” he said, dismissing concerns about abuse of power.


Activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung – who was arrested in August in connection with a protest in June – had questioned whether police abused their power by hacking into his mobile phone. He found that some instant messaging records from his locked phone had been admitted as evidence by the prosecution.


Wong said in December he had not given up his password during his arrest. Police clarified that it was conducted under a magistrate-issued search warrant.


Opposition lawmaker Charles Mok called for more guidelines to prevent possible abuse.


“We are talking about [a lot of] phones,” Mok said. “You break into the phones and read the contents, all contents, whether they are related to the cases being investigated or not. And no one can know if the phones will have spyware installed after being seized.”


Icarus Wong Ho-yin, a spokesman for Civil Rights Observer, a concern group, agreed.


“It seems it has now become a casual procedure that officers will seize an arrestee’s phone and check its contents,” he said.


Dozens detained by police after march against parallel traders in Hong Kong’s Sheung Shui


He added the risk of possible abuse was getting higher as police had resorted to making mass arrests recently.


“We have heard of cases of officers threatening people stopped on the street for questioning to hand over and unlock their phones for officers to check the contents, risking arrest if they do not comply,” Wong said.


Meanwhile, the government rejected a suggestion by the pro-Beijing camp to introduce legislation to stop demonstrators from “disguising themselves as online media workers” to make it easier for them to carry out illegal acts.


Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah said that, despite suspected cases of protesters impersonating reporters and participating in illegal and violent acts, the government would not define what constituted a media worker with legislation and had no intention of screening journalists’ qualifications to report.

Meanwhile, riot police applied pepper spray to disperse protesters after a vigil in Sheung Tak Estate in Tseung Kwan O to mark the two-month anniversary of the death of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) student Chow Tsz-lok.

A dozen black-clad protesters laid bricks and other large items on the road outside a car park in the estate where the vigil took place. Officers rushed in to warn participants to leave the illegal assembly, while tear gas warnings were raised.


Several protesters were later subdued on the ground at about 10.40pm and officers fired pepper spray to stop others from getting closer.


Chow fell from the car park near a police operation on November 4 and died on November 8. The circumstances of the death have not been explained.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Top official suggests outsiders helped train some protesters


Sum Lok-kei
Sum Lok-kei joined the Post in 2018. He is a reporter on the Hong Kong desk.


Hong Kong / Law and Crime
Hong Kong police seized more than 3,700 mobile phones from protesters in space of five months and had devices broken into to read contents, security chief reveals

Secretary for Security John Lee dismisses concerns about potential abuse of power, maintaining the cases all satisfied court for issuing of search warrants
Lee would not comment on whether police used spyware to unlock suspects’ phones

Ng Kang-chung
Published: 8 Jan, 2020

Police processed 1,429 cases involving mobile phones as evidence from June to November, it was revealed. Photo: EPA

Hong Kong police seized more than 3,700 mobile phones from anti-government protesters in the first five months of the ongoing civil unrest and had the devices broken into to read the contents, the city’s security chief has revealed.

Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu dismissed concerns about a possible abuse of power, maintaining the cases all satisfied the court for the issuing of search warrants.

Lee made the disclosure on Wednesday when responding to lawmakers’ questions on the police’s power to access the contents of mobile phones without the owners’ consent or knowledge.

“From June to November 2019, police processed 1,429 cases that involved mobile phones as evidence,” Lee told the Legislative Council meeting.

John Lee dismissed concerns about a possible abuse of power. Photo: May Tse

“Among those cases, 3,721 mobile phones belonging to arrested persons or suspects were involved, and the relevant cases were all processed with search warrants issued by the court.”

Lee said the seizure of phones was usual practice and not meant only to tackle those arrested during the social unrest, which broke out last June.

“While carrying out their responsibilities, [law enforcement agencies] may exercise the search and seizure powers conferred by relevant legislation, and seize and examine various objects of the suspected offence, including mobile phones and other similar devices,” he said.

“Police will only conduct digital forensic examination on mobile phones after obtaining court warrants. The examination and the evidence obtained will be adduced in the relevant open trials.”

Concerns were raised last month after pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, who was arrested in August in connection with a protest in June, questioned whether police had abused their power to hack into his password-protected mobile phone after the prosecution admitted as evidence some instant messaging records.

Hong Kong has been in the grip of protests since June. Photo: Edmond So

Wong said he had not disclosed the phone’s password to police.

Police later clarified that the procedure was conducted under a magistrate-issued search warrant.

At Wednesday’s Legco meeting, Lee would not comment on whether police used spyware to unlock suspects’ phones.

“As the critical technologies used in the examinations are confidential, disclosing such information may reveal to criminals details of operations, thus allowing them to take advantage by undermining [law enforcement agencies’] capabilities in combating serious crimes and maintaining public safety.”

Lee also cited a 2017 case in which the court ruled that under the Police Force Ordinance, officers may seize mobile phones found on an apprehended person, but would need a warrant to examine the contents in a non-emergency situation.

The case stemmed from the arrest of a truck driver for the Civil Human Rights Front, who was held for not following police orders when he was leading the annual July 1 march in 2014.

Joshua Wong says he never gave his phone password to police. Photo: May Tse

Opposition lawmaker Charles Mok said he was shocked by Lee’s disclosure and called for more guidelines to prevent possible abuse.

“We are talking about 3,700-odd phones. That is a very big number. So far, police have arrested 6,000-odd people [in connection with the protests],” Mok said.

“You break into the phones and read the contents, all contents, whether they are related to the cases being investigated or not. And no one will even know if the phones will be installed with spyware after being seized by officers.”

Mok’s views, meanwhile, were echoed by Icarus Wong Ho-yin, spokesman for concern group Civil Rights Observer.

“It seems to me that it has now become a casual procedure that officers will seize an arrestee’s phone and check the contents,” Wong said, adding that the risk of possible abuse was rising as police had recently resorted to making mass arrests.


“We have heard of cases where officers threatened a person who was stopped on the street for questioning to hand over and unlock his phone to check the contents, or else risk being arrested. Usually, the person will give in.”

Series of quakes hit Batangas anew; intensity II felt in Tagaytay
By: Gabriel Pabico Lalu - Reporter / @GabrielLaluINQ
INQUIRER.net / 02:21 AM January 15, 2020

MANILA, Philippines – A series of shallow earthquakes hit the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas on Wednesday morning, the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Phivolcs said in its monitoring website that the strongest of the recent quakes was a Magnitude 3.6 tremor in Agoncillo at 1:32 a.m., at a depth of 10 kilometers. Instrumental Intensity II was felt in Tagaytay City, and was still caused by the Taal Volcano’s activities.

Another quake, this time a Magnitude 2.6, was recorded seven kilometers southeast of Laurel 11 minutes after. Instrumental Intensity II was also experienced in Tagaytay.

Since the Magnitude 3.6 temblor in Agoncillo, four other minor earthquakes were also recorded. No tsunami warnings have been raised as of now.

Hundreds of earthquakes have been recorded in Batangas and Cavite towns surrounding Taal Volcano, after it erupted last Sunday afternoon. Alert Level 4 has been raised by Phivolcs, which means that residents within the 17-kilometer danger zone should be evacuated.

READ: More than 40 quakes hound areas reeling from Taal Volcano’s eruption

READ: Shun ‘false sense of security’; Taal Volcano isn’t really easing up – Phivolcs

INQUIRER CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR THE VICTIMS OF TAAL VOLCANO ERUPTION
Responding to appeals for help, the Inquirer is extending its relief to the families affected by the recent eruption of Taal volcano.
Cash donations may be deposited in the Inquirer Foundation Corp. Banco De Oro (BDO) Current Account No: 007960018860.
Inquiries may be addressed and emailed to Inquirer’s Corporate Affairs office through foundation@inquirer.com.ph.

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 Plants and wildlife in Taal island are already dead following the volcano's release of ash and lava, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

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Watch the latest updates on Taal Volcano Eruption!

Philippine authorities to study effects of cloud seeding in volcanic ashfall areas

ASEAN+

Tuesday, 14 Jan 2020


A family evacuating to safer grounds as Taal volcano in Tagaytay erupted on Monday. - AP


MANILA, (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN): The proposal to cloud seed in areas affected by ashfall from the eruption of the Taal Volcano needs further study, according to the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

“That has to be studied. In general, cloud [seeding] is a good idea, but how to operationalise it, you really have to study, ” Phivolcs director and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Dr Renato Solidum said in a press briefing on Tuesday (Jan 14).


Solidum first explained that the rain would be good to wash down the ash caused by the volcanic eruption.

"But the amount of rain that it would produce and where would it fall, obviously there should be an ideal condition where you will cloud seed," added Solidum.

This comes after Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III earlier made his proposal, saying that it would reduce the bad effects of the ashfall.

Asked further if this would lead to a threat of lahar (floods), Solidum answered: “Well, this has to be studied. If you look at it, obviously if there is too much water, it will wash down the ash, but it could also cause lahar because it is washing down the ash."

Lahar, according to the United States Geological Survey, is described as “hot or cold mixture of water and rock fragments that flows down the slopes of a volcano and typically enters a river valley.”

Solidum added that the eruption itself already triggered the process of cloud seeding.

“But then remember, When an eruption occurs, the rise of the warm atmosphere, and the ash as well, can trigger rainfall, ” Solidum explained. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network

Why Filipinos did not welcome Tito Sotto’s cloud seeding proposal to ashfall-stricken areas

By Jeline Malasig

January 14, 2020 


Sen. Tito Sotto III speaks to the media. (Senate PRIB)

The undersecretary of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology did not immediately agree with the suggestion of Sen. Tito Sotto III that cloud seeding should be done in areas affected with Taal Volcano’s ashfall.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said that further study must be done about operationalizing the weather modification activity.

While it may help plants covered in ashfall, it might also bring threats of lahar and flooding in areas near the volcano.

“You have to study how to operationalize cloud seeding,” Solidum said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

He added in a press conference that initiating the activity is difficult if there are no clouds available for seeding in the first place.

“Mahirap mag-cloud seed kung walang cloud na isi-seed mo para umulan,” Solidum said, as quoted by reports.

“Pero kung gaanong kalaking ulan ang mapo-produce n’yan at kung saan tatama ‘yung ulan, obviously, dapat meron kang ideal condition na ika-cloud seed mo,” he added.

Solidum also emphasized that rains might trigger flash floods and lahar.

“Well, this has to be studied. Kung titignan mabuti, obviously, kung masyado maraming tubig, e mawa-wash down ‘yung abo sa gilid, at may banta ng flood or lahar dahil wina-wash down ‘yung mga abo,” he said.

Phivolcs defined lahar as “slurries of volcanic sediment, debris and water that cascade down a volcano’s slopes through rivers and channels.”

It is sometimes called volcanic mudflows or debris flows, the agency added.

Lahar is “mainly generated by torrential rainfall on unconsolidated deposits from a past eruption,” Phivolcs said.

Sotto previously said that cloud seeding should be done in the areas affected by the ashfall brought by the heightened unrest of the Taal Volcano.

“I’m proposing cloud seeding action in the Taal Volcano affected areas and not wait for the rain. I sent word to the executive dept through Bong Go and ES (Executive Secretary) Medialdia. Water solves the ashfall debris,” he said to ABS-CBN.

Sotto also tweeted the same idea on his social media account prior.

Sen. Tito Sotto III tweeting about cloud seeding in areas areas affected by the ashfall of Taal Volcano. (Screenshot by Interaksyon)

Many Filipinos disagreed with his suggestion, including a student of Geography from the University of the Philippines-Diliman and a licensed professional teacher.

Jael Gonzales, an undergraduate student, pointed out that cloud seeding is not “instantaneous” in itself.

“Cloud seeding is not instantaneous, any clouds would be blown in the same direction as the debris and gases that came from Taal. Mixed with water, they will produce acid rain and runoff,” he said.

Twitter user @ejgp0627, a licensed teacher, recalled the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo when heavy rains produced lahar that “destroyed the homes of more than 100,000 people in the area surrounding Pinatubo,” according to the United States Geological Survey.

OMG, Tito Sotto strikes again with a minefield of problematic statements:
1. Cloud seeding = Acid rain / Lahar (remember Pinatubo '91?)
2. Cloud seeding on a no-fly zone?
3. Isn't it Bong Go's already part of the Legislative Dep't? Oh yeah, a seven-hour glitch senator https://t.co/hYSG86TWt0
— The Earl of St. Peters (@ejgp0627) January 13, 2020

USGS also noted that the lahar also caused “more devastation in the (surrounding) lowlands than the eruption itself.”

“In the next four rainy seasons, lahars carried about half of the deposits off the volcano, causing even more destruction in the lowlands than the eruption itself,” the website said.

The Twitter user also pointed out that the vicinity around Taal Volcano, particularly within the 14-kilometer radius from the crater, is considered a “no-fly zone” because of the ash and smoke being emitted.

It could be recalled that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport canceled all of the flights on January 12, Sunday due to the steam-driven eruption where plumes rose as high as 100 meters.

For cloud seeding to be enacted, planes must be deployed in the airspace where clouds are present.

Elmer Caringal, a hydrologist from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, previously said that it could only work if there are “thunderstorm clouds” in the sky.
How does cloud seeding work?

Cloud seeding is the process of adding chemicals, particularly silver iodide or dry ice, to clouds through airplane flares in order to increase rainfall.

It is usually done by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management — an agency under the Agriculture Department — to help areas suffering from drought or dams and reservoirs with low water levels, according to an ABS-CBN News report.

“Cloud seeding works by deliberately sodium chloride or salt into clouds with high moisture content. These are what we call seedable clouds. Once the salt is introduced into the clouds, water vapor attaches to it,” it said.

“They become ice crystals and become bigger. When the cloud can no longer hold on to this, it falls and becomes rain,” the report continued.

It noted that rainfall will begin to commence 30 minutes to one hour after a successful operation.

However, not all clouds can produce sufficient rainfall, PAGASA assistant weather services chief Charmie Monteverde said.

Engineer Teresita Sandoval, chief of BSWM’s water resources management division, revealed that cloud seeding is not an instantaneous process that can be done for the sake of doing it.

“Pupuntahan po nating lahat ‘yung munisipyo, tatangungin natin ‘yung mga technician doon, ‘Ano bang nakatanim? Ano ba ‘yung affected ng cloud seeding? Ano ba ‘yung affected ng drought?’ Kapag sinabi po nila na sampung hektarya lang, hindi naman siguro tama na mag-cloud seeding,” she said.

“Kailangan po natin, andun po sa ating guidelines, kailangan at least 1,000 hectares po ‘yung affected area. At meron po dapat na standing crops… na i-sa-save for total loss,” Sandoval continued.

Published on Jan 13, 2020

The proposal of cloud seeding in areas affected by ashfall from the eruption of the Taal Volcano still needs further study, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Huge Eruption of Philippines Volcano Seen from Space

By Stephanie Pappas - Live Science Contributor 

In this time-series animation captured by Japan's Himawari-8 satellite, the volcanic plume from the Taal eruption can be seen spreading on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13, 2020. (Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory)

Forty-three years after its last eruption, the Taal Volcano awoke on Jan. 12, sending a plume of steam and sulfur skyward and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people on the island of Luzon, Philippines.

This eruption was captured in images by Japan’s Himawari-8 satellite. An animation of the satellite data, released by NASA's Earth Observatory, shows the volcanic plume as it spread over the course of Jan. 12 and 13.

According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, Taal underwent frequent eruptions throughout the mid-1960s until 1977. In 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011, the volcano periodically trembled with earthquakes and occasionally showed increased hydrothermal activity (superhot liquids seeping to the surface), all reminders that Taal remained an active volcano. On Jan. 12, the volcano made itself known with a steam-driven eruption that sent ash 9 miles (14 kilometers) into the air, according to CNN. The steam eruption was followed by the appearance of a gushing lava fountain, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) in Quezon City.

As of Jan. 13, more than 25,000 people had sought shelter in evacuation centers, according to CNN, though the actual number of evacuees was likely to be higher. PHIVOLCS has urged the total evacuation of everyone within an 8.7-mile (14 km) radius of the volcano. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Philippines estimated on Twitter that more than 450,000 people live in that area around the mountain.

The volcano is emitting sulfur dioxide in its eruptive plume, and authorities have warned locals to use facemasks or wet clothes to avoid breathing in affected air or small particles of ash. The eruption has also brought a new spate of earthquakes to the mountain’s flanks, with the Philippine Seismic Network detecting at least 144 earthquakes in the area since Jan 12. According to PHIVOLCS, 44 of the earthquakes were big enough to be felt.

Beyond the dangers of ash and toxic gases, Taal sits on a large lake. A sudden eruption could create a dangerous tsunami that would swamp nearby towns and villages, according to CNN. More eruptive activity is possible in the coming days.

Taal Volcano eruption: Philippine government fears repeat of Pinatubo disaster that killed 847 people

The chief state seismologist said Taal’s volcanic activity had previously lasted a few days but in one instance it had gone on for seven months

Officials also sought to dissuade vendors from selling protective face masks at inflated prices after cloud of volcanic ash blew north to Manila

Raissa Robles andCompiled by SCMP’s Asia desk
Published: 14 Jan, 2020

Philippines’ Taal Volcano eruption triggers dozens of quakes, mass evacuation
14 Jan 2020

Taal Volcano: as thousands flee ash-covered towns, some decide to stay home
15 Jan 2020


Ash spews into the air from Taal Volcano. Photo: EPA

The
Philippine government has issued a dire warning about the potential of
Taal Volcano to cause mass casualties, recalling the 1991 eruption of
Mount Pinatubo which killed 847 people.

“The entire mountain collapsed during the eruption [in 1991],” said Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who also serves as chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

“That’s what we’re fearing, that the eruption would cause the entire island to rise and scatter debris on the nearby areas,” Lorenzana said. “Hopefully this won’t happen. We can never predict the actions of this volcano.”

Taal Volcano continued to tremble on Tuesday as tens of thousands of people fled ash-blanketed villages in the danger zone.

Fountains of red-hot lava spurted 500 metres into the sky with dark plumes of ash and steam reaching 2km. More than 200 earthquakes have been detected in and around Taal, 81 of which were felt with varying intensities.

“Such intense seismic activity probably signifies continuous magmatic intrusion beneath the Taal edifice, which may lead to further eruptive activity,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Philippine’s Taal volcano blankets surrounding towns in grey ash

Chief state seismologist Renato Solidum warned that residents should not return to their homes within a 14km radius of the volcano. In the past, Taal’s volcanic activity had lasted several days but in one instance in the year 1754, it went on for seven months, he said.

Solidum said ashfall from the volcano was problematic as a thick layer of ash on the roofs of homes could cause them to collapse, while “every time the fine ash is whipped up by vehicles or strong wind people might still inhale it”.

Demand for N95 face masks have spiked in recent days since Taal first erupted on Sunday, sending a cloud of ash 65km north to the capital city, Manila and causing hundreds of flights to be cancelled, with thousands stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The airport has since partially resumed operations.

Residents arrive at local school after being evacuated from the heavy ash and debris from the Taal Volcano eruption. Photo: AP

Government officials warned against profiteering from the demand for masks, as supplies ran low and reports surfaced that masks were being sold for 200 pesos (US$4), a significant increase from the usual 30 pesos.

“Let us not use this occasion to prey on others,” Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan told local media.

The Chinese embassy in Manila donated 1,000 masks and the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry warned sellers found “profiteering” would be “dealt with to the fullest extent of the law”.

Lava, lightning and a ‘hazardous explosion within hours’, but for some Filipinos, an eerie calm
14 Jan 2020



In response, President Rodrigo Duterte suggested prices for masks, which filter airborne particles, could be capped.

“Those who cannot afford masks, we will give it free ... in times of crisis all I can do to manage the situation is [to ask] the military and police,” Duterte told reporters on Monday evening, also indicating he planned to visit the affected area on Tuesday.

The location of Taal Volcano.


When asked where he was fit enough to visit the area, Duterte replied: “I could even eat the ashfall and pee on Taal.”

Duterte also called on employers to suspend work due to the ashfall.

Taal Volcano is the most deadly in the Philippines, killing more than 6,000 in its history
14 Jan 2020


“We do not control everybody,” he said. “So, what we can only do is to tell them – and usually the statement or the narrative of the government is always a persuasive effect.”

The Department of Labour and Employment said employees who “fail or refuse to work by reason of imminent danger resulting from natural or man-made calamity should not be exposed to or subject to any administrative sanction”.

Chino Vaflor and Kat Bautista Palomar. Photo: Randolf Evan/Instagram


On Sunday, just as the volcano was erupting, Chino Vaflor and Kat Bautista Palomar were getting married at a venue less than 10km away.

“We noticed white smoke coming out of Taal during preparations around 2pm and from then on we knew something unusual was already going on with the volcano,” Randolf Evan, the couple’s wedding photographer who captured the explosion, told the BBC.

Evan said they all felt they were “definitely safe as the venue was on higher ground and not directly around the volcano’s vicinity”.

This was the condition of the horses in Taal uploaded 4 hours ago. Sana matulungan pa sila
pic.twitter.com/O0hYFpW2Te — ʸᵛᵃⁿ (@Cutiiesaurus)
January 13, 2020

Meanwhile, ING Bank also warned the disruption from Taal Volcano could create a “temporary speed bump” for the Philippine economy. The areas affected host industrial and car assembly hubs, while the Department of Agriculture estimated damage to crops and livestock worth 75 million pesos (US$1.5 million).

About 36,000 people have been evacuated from 27 towns and cities in Batangas as of midnight and being accommodated in 130 shelters, according to the Office of Civil Defence. The province of Batangas, south of the capital, has been placed under a state of emergency.


Additional reporting by Bloomberg

Taal Volcano
Volcanoes
The Philippines
Natural disasters


Raissa Robles has written for the SCMP since 1996. A freelance journalist specialising in politics, international relations, business and Muslim rebellion, she has contributed to Reuters, the Economist Intelligence Unit, Daily Mail, Times of London, Radio Netherlands and Asiaweek. She runs the award-winning investigative and opinion blog, raissarobles.com. Her book, Marcos Martial Law: Never Again, a brief history of the dictatorship won the 2017 National Book Awards for Non-Fiction. Her Twitter handle is @raissawriter.

Why the Taal volcano's eruption created so much lightning

Lightning during the Taal volcano eruption on Jan. 12, 2020.

IMAGE: ROUELLE UMALI/XINHUA VIA GETTY

BY MARK KAUFMAN5 HOURS AGO

After sleeping for over 40 years, the Philippines' Taal volcano awoke over the weekend, blasting a plume of ash at least 32,000 feet into the sky.

And in this ominous plume, thunder clapped and lightning streaked through the dark column of volcanic ash. 

The profoundly dangerous Taal — with over 24 million people living within 60 miles of the volcano — produced a scintillating, at times mesmerizing, light show. (Taal's activity also prompted a mass evacuation of almost 1 million people should there be a bigger eruption.)

Volcanic lightning, however captivating, is common, explained Sonja Behnke, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory who researches these volcanic phenomena and has repeatedly observed volcanic lightning in places like Iceland and Japan.

Snapshots of Taal volcano eruption.

Keep safe everyone. 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/xgUjs1ZXhX

— shuajo (@joshibob_) January 12, 2020

If you're mesmerized by the steamy #Taal eruption plume and wondering why it's creating so much #VolcanicLightning, you’re not alone. Here’s a micro-crash course on the physics of volcanic thunderstorms for non-specialists. Thanks to @joshibob_ for the incredible footage! (1/14) pic.twitter.com/CCl6zw56RZ

— Alexa Van Eaton (@volcaniclastic) January 13, 2020

How volcanic lightning happens

There are two major steps.

1. First, the volcanic ash needs an electric charge. When a volcano erupts explosively (as opposed to gentler lava eruptions from, for example, Hawaiian volcanoes), it ejects exploded particles of molten rock (aka "magma") into the air, which becomes volcanic ash. In the towering plume of ash, these billions of particles start colliding and rubbing against each other, which creates charged volcanic particles. It's similar to how you create static electricity by rubbing socks on carpet. "The ash gets charged as the volcano is erupting," said Behnke.

"It’s essentially the same reason we get lightning and thunder in storm clouds," added atmospheric scientist Adam Varble, who researches thunderstorms at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "It's the collision of particles." But in storm clouds, instead of ash particles rubbing together, it's only ice particles colliding together to create electric charges.

2. Then, to get bolts of lightning, the charged particles need to separate into different regions of a volcano's ash plume. In the chaotic plume, this happens naturally as differently sized ash particles fall down at different speeds, creating different zones of charged particles, either positive or negative. (What gives one region of particles a positive or negative charge is "complicated physics" that's still being investigated, explained Varble.) 

But the important point is when you have two regions of oppositely charged particles, the space between becomes an electric field, which allows electricity to shoot or flow through the air. These are the bolts of lightning you see streaking through storm clouds or volcanic plumes.

Dramatic video shows bolts of lightning as a volcano spews ash up to nine miles into the air in the Philippines.

The country has raised the alert level, meaning an "explosive eruption" could happen in the coming hours or days: https://t.co/28tNsT07uQ pic.twitter.com/VV04MoFDQR

— CNN (@CNN) January 13, 2020

These radiant bolts of lightning, whether in volcanic plumes or thunderstorms, are powerful, creating between 10 million volts to billions of volts, explained Varble. (Toasters usually operate at between 120 to 220 volts.) 

Taal certainly created lots of lightning. That's likely because the plume reached so high into the freezing atmosphere that water ejected during the eruption turned into little ice particles, which also started colliding and creating static electricity, explained Behnke. This means there was a double whammy of both ash and ice creating charged particles.

There may have been a lot of water in Taal's ashy plume, because a lake sat on top of the volcano, meaning the eruption blew through a lake. 

"It seems like volcanoes that have a good interaction with water when erupting get more dramatic displays of lighting," said Behnke.  

For volcano scientists, volcanic lightning is more than just a natural spectacle. The U.S. Geological Survey now uses lightning to track volcanic eruptions as they happen, said Behnke.

Many eruptions happen in remote places and aren't directly observed by people. But lightning is detectable from satellites, which gives scientists' better insight into the planet's constantly erupting volcanoes. 

"It's very common during explosive ash-producing eruptions," Alexa Van Eaton, a USGS volcanologist, tweeted. "So common, in fact, that we use it to help monitor volcanism around the world."

What’s causing lightning during the Philippines eruption? Experts explain the phenomenon

BY EMERALD BENSADOUN GLOBAL NEWS

Posted January 13, 2020 5:31 pm WATCH: Video captures rare volcanic lightning sprawl upwards from Philippines volcanoAs the Taal volcano erupts  near Manila, Philippines, blanketing the surrounding island of Luzon in thick plumes of ash and sending streaks of lightning into the sky, volcanic experts break down the science behind the phenomenon.
Not all volcanoes emit lightning when they erupt, but the spectacle, they say, is hardly rare.

Volcanic lighting is “actually pretty common,” particularly with eruptions
that produce a lot of ash, said Melanie Kelman, a volcanologist at Natural Resources Canada.

 

Volcanic lightning caused by eruption is seen over Tagaytay City, Cavite province, Philippines Jan. 12, 2020. @DERRICKQUIBAEL via REUTERS

According to Kelman, the phenomenon begins when water interacts with magma in an explosive fragmentation of hot rock under Lake Taal

The rocks, which erupt as a result of the explosion, break into even smaller particles known as volcanic ash.

READ MORE: Tens of thousands flee as red-hot lava gushes from volcano near Manila

“The finer the ash, the more likely you are to get lightning, she said. “When an explosive volcanic eruption produces an ash column, collisions between ash particles (which may be thousandths of a millimetres in size) produce friction, which generates electrical charge.”

A turbulent column of volcanic ash rises, creating a plume full of charged particles that eventually plummets, covering the ground in ash. Particles crash into one another, illuminating the skies with hazardous lightning.

Volcanic lightning is a lot like a thunderstorm

“You have to imagine that obviously there are millions of billions of particles which are ejected in these clouds, that carry some charges with them,” said another volcanologist, Corrado Cimarelli.

He said electrical charges dispatched through static electricity are the essence of volcanic lightning.

Cimarelli, who teaches physical and experimental volcanology at Germany’s Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, told Global News the process, called “tribal electrification,” is similar to the way lightning forms during thunderstorms.

“The reason why they actually charge is because they collide against each other,” said Cimarelli.

“If you have a series of particles which are grouped together and they have a specific polarity — a positive or negative, and they are distant enough to basically break the electrical insulation of the air in between — then you will have a discharge happening.”

0:38Timelapse captures eruptions inside Taal volcano’s main crater in Philippines

 Timelapse captures eruptions inside Taal volcano’s main crater in Philippines

According to Cimarelli, these charged particles are then lofted up into the atmosphere at high altitudes — about six or 10 kilometres in in the case of the Taal volcano — where they then freeze and circulate inside the plume.

The ice that forms is “actually the carrier of charges into the thunderstorms,” he said.

But the explosiveness of the eruption, the size of the ash, the presence of ice particles, and the water content and temperature of the volcanic plume all play roles in the number and size of lightning discharges.

 Lightning flashes as Taal Volcano erupts on Jan. 12, 2020, in Tagaytay, Cavite province, outside Manila, Philippines. Bogie Calupitan / The Associated Press

“There is some evidence that eruptions with more water produce less lightning — this may be because wet eruptions tend to be more explosive, and more explosive eruptions may scatter ash particles over a larger area, resulting in fewer ash particle collisions,” said Kelman.

The temperature of the environment wouldn’t matter, but the amount of water available has the potential to create larger explosions.

“If a volcano is near or in the ocean, if there is a lake in a volcanic crater, if there is a lot of groundwater, if there is a lot of water dissolved in the magma, or if there are glaciers on a volcano that can be melted to produce water, then an eruption may be more explosive than it would have been otherwise,” she said.

“More water tends to lead to greater explosivity, resulting in finer ash.”

READ MORE: Villagers flee, airport closes after small volcano erupts near Manila

Not your typical campfire ash

Since the volcano’s eruption, Filipino authorities have begun evacuating thousands of people near the capital of Manila, going so far as to urge a full evacuation.

The Department of Science and Technology at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert status to Level Four and urged a total evacuation of Taal Volcano Island within a 14-kilometre radius from the volcano’s main crater.

Civil aviation authorities were advised to avoid flying near the volcano due to “airborne ash and ballistic fragments from the eruption column.”

 

Taal Volcano erupts, sending bolts of lightning into the sky on Jan. 12, 2020, in Tagaytay, Cavite province, outside Manila, Philippines. Aaron Favila / The Associated Press

The warning echoed the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland, which saw 800 people evacuated from the region and the closure of European air spaces for several days thereafter.

Kelman said ash is more volatile than it appears, and is actually shattered volcanic rock.

“It’s not like ash from a campfire, which is soft and organic and it dissolves. Volcanic ash is like sand. So tiny particles of it are a hazard to aircraft … because they can sandblastst any surface, including the windshield or the control surfaces,” said Kelman.

“The ash particles can go into any part of the airplane or like instruments for navigation and whatnot. And then really critical is that the ash can go into the engine and melt and then be re-deposited on the the turbine blades. So it can cause jet engines to stall.”

Taal: Time-lapse of lightning storm swirling round Philippine volcano

Time-lapse footage has captured a lightning storm swirling in dark clouds around the peak of the Taal volcano in the Philippines.

The volcano had spewed a giant plume of ash, prompting thousands of people to be evacuated.

Officials said the plume from the Taal volcano stretched 1km (0.6 miles) into the sky.

Read more: Taal volcano: Lava spews as 'hazardous eruption' feared

• 12 Jan 2020