MANILA - A minor phreatomagmatic eruption that lasted four minutes was recorded in Taal Volcano, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Saturday, In an advisory, Phivolcs said the eruption occurred at 11:32 a.m. and resulted in a short black jetted plume followed by a steam-rich plume that rose 2,000 meters above the main crater before drifting southwest. 'The phreatomagmatic event was likely driven by sudden contact of water with a small branch of shallow magma that has been in place beneath the Taal Main Crater and that has been degassing sustained levels of SO2 (sulfur dioxide) for the past three years,' Phivolcs said. 'The background levels of volcanic earthquake activity and ground deformation detected at Taal indicate that unrest is unlikely to progress into a major magmatic eruption at this time.' Before this, 30 minor eruptive events have been recorded since Sept. 22, including five phreatic events on Saturday. SO2 emissions averaged 3,276 tonnes on Friday. The av erage SO2 emissions since January remain high at 6,673 tonnes per day. Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1, which means sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within the Taal Volcano Island (TVI). Furthermore, Phivolcs said degassing of high concentrations of volcanic SO2 continues to pose the threat of potential long-term health impacts to communities around Taal Caldera that are frequently exposed to volcanic gas. It strongly recommends that entry into TVI, Taal's Permanent Danger Zone or PDZ, especially the vicinities of the Main Crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, must remain strictly prohibited. Local government units are advised to continuously monitor and assess the preparedness of their communities and undertake appropriate response measures to mitigate hazards that could be posed by long-term degassing and related phreatic activity. Civil aviation authorities must advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from sudden explosions and wind-remobilized ash may pose hazards to aircraft. (PNA) Source: Philippines News Agency