It is one of the active volcanos in the Philippines, part of the Pacific ring of fire.
Mount Kanlaon, Negros island, it straddles the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental in the Visayas region |
Kanlaon has an elevation of 2,435 meters and a base diameter of 30 km and is dotted with pyroclastic cones and craters. The summit of Kanlaon contains a broad elongated northern caldera with a crater lake. A smaller but more active crater lies in the south.
The volcano has three hot springs on its slopes: Mambucal Hot Springs on the northwest, Bucalan Hot Spring, Bungol Hot Spring. Its adjacent volcanic edifices are Mt. Silay and Mt. Mandalagan, north of Kanlaon. Canlaon City now stands beside the mountain.
Eruptions
The most active volcano in central Philippines, Kanlaon has erupted 25 times since 1886. Eruptions are typically phreatic explosions of small-to-moderate size that produce minor ashfalls near the volcano.
On August 10, 1996, Kanlaon erupted without warning, killing British student Julian Green and Filipinos Noel Tragico and Neil Perez, who were among 24 mountain climbers who were trapped near the summit. The authorities rescued the 17 others, including 10 Belgians, another Briton and six Filipinos. The 17 were identified as Belgians Frederick Carraso, Philipp Couche, Caroline La Grange, Sophie La Benne, Darmien Gaitan, David Ryckaert, Florence De Corte, Jean Francois Ossengeld, Caroline Verlinde and Delthme Ferrant, Briton Gordon Cole and Filipinos Pepito Ibrado, Wovi Villanueva and Albert Devarras.
It is a favorite spot for mountain climbers and is surrounded by the Mt. Kanlaon National Park.
Recent volcanic activity
On June 3, 2006, Kanlaon again exhibited restiveness and spewed steam and ash. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) issued Alert Level 1 (mild restiveness) on June 12, 2006.
On February 10, 2008 Phivolcs issued an alert saying the "seismic network at Kanlaon Volcano recorded a total of 21 low frequency volcanic earthquakes (LFVQ) during the past 24 hours. Due to the increasing number of recorded volcanic earthquakes, PHIVOLCS raises Kanlaon Volcano’s alert status from Alert Level 0 to Alert Level 1 which means that the volcano is at slightly elevated unrest and volcanic activity could lead to steam and ash ejections."
A 4-kilometre Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) is maintained around the volcano, because sudden explosions may occur without warning.
In the 8 days from 23 August 2009 to 1 September 2009, 257 volcanic earthquakes were recorded. Usual seismic activity during quiet periods is 0 to 4 quakes in any 24 hour period. Epicentres of the recorded quakes were clustered at the north-west slope which may indicate movement of an active local fault at the slope induced by pressure beneath the volcano. Surface observations did not show any significant change in the steam emission from the crater. Phivolcs maintained the alert status at Level 0.
Volcanic activity at Kanlaon is continuously monitored by Phivolcs.
Coordinates: 10°24′42″N 123°7′54″E