Travel vloggers’ drone footage provided the local online community with a close-up look of the restive Taal Volcano‘s hot crater.
YouTube channel World Of Fun and Travel uploaded a clip claiming that it caught the Batangas-based volcano’s active crater in its “closest flyby yet.”
“In this episode, we take you to our closest look at the steaming crater lake (of) Taal Volcano. Philvolcs has warned of an imminent eruption due to the record levels of SO2 emissions the past several days, along with the increasing number of volcanic related earthquakes,” its video description reads.
SO2 refers to sulfur dioxide which is released from a volcano when magma is relatively near the surface.
The video was uploaded on the travel vlog’s account on Tuesday.
The video also made its way to local Reddit’s trending list on Tuesday morning.
Last Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology shared drone footage of Taal’s main crater lake showing its continuous upwelling.
The volcano also emitted three-kilometer high degassing plumes.
The footage was taken a day after its alert level increased from Level 2 (increasing unrest) to Level 3 (magmatic unrest).
Taal Volcano is still on Alert Level 3, which means that a “magmatic or explosive phreatomagmatic eruption is imminent.”
“Precursory eruptive activity may be taking place and generating ashfall, ballistics and/or short lava flows,” Phivolcs added in the volcano’s alert level scheme.
Based on its latest advisory released on Wednesday, 5 a.m., the institute has recorded 65 volcanic earthquakes and weak background tremors from the volcano.
The flux of sulfur dioxide has also reached 7,560 tonnes per day as of Tuesday.
Phivolcs also shared footage of the main crater as of 8 am.
Going to the Taal Volcano Island and high-risk barangays like Agoncillo and Laurel remains prohibited, as well as staying and fishing in its lake.
All kinds of aircraft are also prohibited from going near the volcano’s crater.
Taal initially erupted in January 2020 after more than 40 years of slumber.
It once again erupted on July 1 of this year, prompting Phivolcs to raise its alert level to Level 3.
