Taal Volcano
By: Kadish Hagley and Cecil
Brooks Jr.
Department of Geology,
Colby College
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Taal_Volcano_aerial_2013.jpg
Basic Facts and Location
● Taal is on Luzon Island,
Philippines, 14°0′7″N
120°59′34″E
● Pacific Ring of Fire
● On the Eurasian Plate
● 50 km (31 mi) south of the
capital city, Manila (pop.
12,000,000)
● Second most active volcano
in the Philippines (33
Historical Eruptions)
Tectonic Setting
● Taal lies on a subduction
zone.
● The Eurasian Plate is
being subducted
underneath the Philippine
Mobile Belt (which
contains the Philippine
Sea plate and the Manila
Trench).
Taal’s Dimensions
● Taal is one of the
shortest active
volcanoes in the
world!
○ Highest
Elevation: 311 m
(1,020 ft.)
● Area of Caldera:
Approximately 15
x 20 square
kilometers (115.8
square miles)
Taal’s Form…….is Tricky!
● Located on an island (Volcano Island), within a
caldera/lake (Taal Lake) within an island (Luzon)
● Relatively young; formed only 500,000 years ago
● Considered a stratovolcano or a complex volcano of
a hydroclastic nature
● Taal Volcano contains a lake called Crater Lake
○ Crater lake is the largest lake on an island in a lake on
an island IN THE WORLD! (Give me a break!)
Eruptive History
● Has erupted 33 times since being first discovered in
1572 by Augustinian Friars
● Years of Eruption: 1977, 1976, 1970, 1969, 1968,
1967, 1966, 1965, 1911, 1904, 1903, 1885?, 1878,
1874, 1873, 1842, 1825, 1808, 1790, 1754, 1749, 1731,
1729, 1716, 1715, 1709, 1707, 1645, 1641, 1635, 1634,
1609, 1591, 1572
Eruption Types
1. Phreatic – steam eruption without lava ejection (e.g.
1878, 1911, 1970)
2. Phreatomagmatic – explosive water-magma
interaction (e.g. 1749, 1965, 1966)
3. Strombolian – short-lived, explosive eruptions with
relatively viscous lava (e.g. 1968, 1969)
4. Plinian – powerful convecting eruptions filled with
ash (e.g. 1754)
Precursors to Eruptions
1. Increase in frequency of quakes with occasional felt
events accompanied by rumbling sounds
2. Temperature and level of Main Crater Lake increases
3. New thermal vents develop and/or old ones reactivate
4. Ground swells or inflation and ground fissuring
5. Temperature of ground probe holes at Mt. Tabaro rises
6. Sulfuric odor with acidic fumes
7. Fish die and vegetation dries up
Eruption of 1911
● Began on January 30, 1911, this eruption is
considered one of the worst volcanic disasters in
history
● The eruption killed about 1400 people in Manila,
702 Cattle, destroyed 543 homes
● Many deaths were attributed to the ½ inch ashfall
● VEI= 3.7 (Pinatubo VEI = 6)
● 75,000,000 cubic meters of solid matter
● Allowed Taal to be classified as a “decade volcano”
to incentivize study to prevent future disaster
Recent Volcanic Activity
2012 Unrest
• 60 Earthquakes recorded in a 24 hour period;
highest intensity earthquake was a III
2011 Unrest
• Placed on level 2 alert in April of 2011 due
to intrusion of magma to surface
• Sites close to volcano closed off to visitors
due to toxic gas (carbon dioxide) scare
2010 Unrest
• Loud hissing sounds heard by many
• Large increase in crater lake temperature
• Magmatic intrusion
2008 Earthquakes
• 10 earthquakes were recorded at Taal
Diverse Range of Volcanic Products
• Pyroclastic lava flows
• Toxic gases (Mostly CO2
and Sulphur)
• Lake tsunamis
• Lakeshore flooding
• Lahars
• Earthquakes
• Ground fissuring
• Subsidence
• Landslides
• Turbulent ash flows
Diverse Range of Volcanic Products
● A series of explosive
eruptions has created
large deposits of
ignimbrite, a volcanic
product typical of
pyroclastic flows.
● Significant amounts of
olivine basalt and
andesite can be found
on Taal in addition to
ignimbrite.
Tourism
● Tourism is a big part of Taal, especially in its
caldera.
● Tourists can travel to the top of the volcano by horseback
or foot.
● Despite trace amounts sulfuric acid, tourists can bathe in
the lake.
●Well received trip on TripAdvisor: 4/5 stars, 79% of
people would recommend.
●There are a variety of excursions and day trips to
Taal from Manila, San Nicolas, and Talisay.
Tourism
Geothermal Activity
● The Philippines is currently the world’s secondlargest producer of geothermal energy (next to the
United States).
● Six new geothermal power contracts were approved
by the Philippines’ Department of Energy in 2011.
● Despite the presence of a hydrothermal reservoir
and natural geothermal activity under Taal, there is
currently no human collection of energy from Taal’s
volcanic activity.
Monitoring
● Principal Monitoring done by the Philippine
Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or
PHIVOLCS.
● Monitoring Methods:
1. Seismic monitoring (number of volcanic quakes and
tremors)
2. Visual observations
3. Ground deformation (EDM, precise leveling, tilt)
4. Main Crater Lake chemistry, temperature and level
Image Sources
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Taal_Volca
no_aerial_2013.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Volcano#mediaviewer/File:Phili
ppines_relief_location_map_(square).svg
http://www.malapascua.de/VolcanoeMap/Taal__Philippines/Taal-Map4-300x327.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4639392140_21dff694cc.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Lake#mediaviewer/File:Taal_la
ke_vicinity.png
http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g1587912d548158-i115552099-Taal_VolcanoBatangas_Province_Calabarzon_Region_Luzon.html
http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/taal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Volcano#mediaviewer/File:Crat
er_lake_02.jpg
Bibliography
Hike Taal Volcano
www.taalvolcano.org/information.htm
Volcano World – Taal
volcano.oregonstate.edu/taal
Taal Volcano
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/html/update_VMEPD/Volcano/
VolcanoList/taal.htm
Taal Lake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Lake
Taal Volcano
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Volcano
Taal Volcano
http://www.iml.rwth-aachen.de/Petrographie/taal.html#Hazards
Taal Volcano
http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/taal.html
Taal Volcano
http://volcanolive.com/taal.html