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) forms the highest point on the Philippine island of Negros. The massive andesitic stratovolcano is covered 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 active vent, Lugud crater, to the south. Eruptions recorded since 1866 have typically consisted of phreatic explosions of small-to-moderate size that produce minor local ashfall.

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