Mount Kanlaon

Table of Contents☰

About Mount Kanlaon:

It is a stratovolcano located in the north-central portion of the island of Negros, Philippines.
It is the highest mountain on the island of Negros and the 42nd tallest peak on an island in the world.
It is one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines and part of thePacific Ring of Fire.
The volcano comprises a number of pyroclastic cones and craters.
The summit of Kanlaon volcano at an elevation of 2435 contains a broad, elongated caldera with a crater lake, with a smaller but more active crater to the south.
The base of Kanlaon covers an area of 30 km x 14 km.
It is underlain by tropical volcanic materials composed of sheeted lava flows, lahar deposits, airfall tephra, and apron pyroclastic materials.
It is biologically diverse; and home to a number of species of Flora and Fauna.
The slopes are also headwater catchments of major river systems on the entire Negros Island.
Kanlaon has erupted several times since 1886 and typically comprise phreatic explosions of small to moderate size that produce minor ashfalls near the volcano.

What is a Phreatic Eruption?

A phreatic eruption is made up of steam-driven explosions that occur when water beneath the ground or on the surface is heated by volcanic activity.
The water, once heated, begins to boil or can even flash straight to steam, causing an explosion.
Phreatic eruptions can often precede, accompany, or follow a more traditional volcanic eruption.
Groundwater can often be found near volcanic vents, and as the magma rises to the surface of the earth, it heats the groundwater and causes these phreatic eruptions.

Q1: What is a Stratovolcano?

The stratovolcano is a tall, steep, and cone-shaped type of volcano. Unlike flat-shield volcanoes, they have higher peaks. At their peak, stratovolcanoes usually have a small crater. The crater may be filled with water or ice, or it may contain a volcanic dome during a period of relative inactivity. Stratovolcanoes comprise the largest percentage (~60%) of the Earth’s individual volcanoes, and most are characterized by eruptions of andesite and dacite, lavas that are cooler and more viscous than basalt.

Source: Hundreds in emergency shelters after volcano erupts in Philippines