Canlaon ejected steam and a little ash for 4.5 hours on 2 August. The cloud rose 800-1,400 m above the crater rim. Seismographs recorded local activity. A smaller eruption occurred at 0610 on 9 August, producing a 250-m cloud. [A smaller eruption ended with small explosions on 14 August at 0615 and 2 September at 1600.]

Further Reference. Oanes, A., 1978, 1978 Canlaon volcano eruption: COMVOL report (unpub.).

Geological Summary. Kanlaon volcano (also spelled Canlaon), the most active of the central Philippines, forms the highest point on the island of Negros. The massive andesitic stratovolcano is dotted with fissure-controlled pyroclastic cones and craters, many of which are filled by lakes. The largest debris avalanche known in the Philippines traveled 33 km SW from Kanlaon. The summit contains a 2-km-wide, elongated northern caldera with a crater lake and a smaller, but higher, historically active vent, Lugud crater, to the south. Historical eruptions, recorded since 1866, have typically consisted of phreatic explosions of small-to-moderate size that produce minor ashfalls near the volcano.

Information Contacts: G. Andal, COMVOL, Quezon City.