ARAYAT, Pampanga- A volcanologist from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has ruled out fears that the explosion heard at Mt. Arayat here before the landslide that killed 12 at the height of storm Ondoy last week was related to volcanic activity.
In an interview with Punto, however, volcanologist July Sabit said that Mt. Arayat, while not in the list of active volcanoes in the Philippines, stands in the limbo between being “potentially active” and “inactive”.
Families who survived the landslide in Barangay San Juan Banyo here during storm Ondoy’s heavy rains last Sept. 25 claimed they heard a loud explosion from the summit of Mt. Arayat before the landslide. Twelve persons were buried in their homes, while 300 other families were evacuated to safer grounds amid threat from more landslides.
Mayor Chito Espino was quick to deny any mining activity in the area, although some claimed that the explosion might have been triggered by treasure hunting activity on the slopes.
Sabit said, however, that loud sounds during landslides could also be explained by huge rocks crashing against each other on the way down the slopes or by earth materials breaking apart from the mountain to trigger the landslide. “It would seem that the explosion was surfaceal, not subterranean,” he said.
He discounted volcanic activity as possible explanation for the explosion, as he noted that Mt. Arayat has no historical record of eruption, although it is known to be a volcano. “But further study is needed to find out Mt. Arayat’s classification as either inactive or potentially active,” he said.
Sabit said this is normally done by examining “charcoals” embedded underneath for carbon testing to find out its past volcanic behavior. This, he noted, has yet to be done.
Phivolcs geologist Lyn Melosantos, however, declined to comment amid lack of first hand information.
At the same time, Sabit also downplayed lahar threat from Mt. Pinatubo amid more rains expected from typhoon Pepeng. “The volcanic deposits (from Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 eruption) are not entirely gone, but they now form a permanent part of the landscape,” he noted.
Sabit said, however, that muddy flows from Mt. Pinatubo’s slopes are still expected and that this could be attributed to “topsoil erosion”.
“Mt. Pinatubo has remained very quiet,” he stressed.
In an interview with Punto, however, volcanologist July Sabit said that Mt. Arayat, while not in the list of active volcanoes in the Philippines, stands in the limbo between being “potentially active” and “inactive”.
Families who survived the landslide in Barangay San Juan Banyo here during storm Ondoy’s heavy rains last Sept. 25 claimed they heard a loud explosion from the summit of Mt. Arayat before the landslide. Twelve persons were buried in their homes, while 300 other families were evacuated to safer grounds amid threat from more landslides.
Mayor Chito Espino was quick to deny any mining activity in the area, although some claimed that the explosion might have been triggered by treasure hunting activity on the slopes.
Sabit said, however, that loud sounds during landslides could also be explained by huge rocks crashing against each other on the way down the slopes or by earth materials breaking apart from the mountain to trigger the landslide. “It would seem that the explosion was surfaceal, not subterranean,” he said.
He discounted volcanic activity as possible explanation for the explosion, as he noted that Mt. Arayat has no historical record of eruption, although it is known to be a volcano. “But further study is needed to find out Mt. Arayat’s classification as either inactive or potentially active,” he said.
Sabit said this is normally done by examining “charcoals” embedded underneath for carbon testing to find out its past volcanic behavior. This, he noted, has yet to be done.
Phivolcs geologist Lyn Melosantos, however, declined to comment amid lack of first hand information.
At the same time, Sabit also downplayed lahar threat from Mt. Pinatubo amid more rains expected from typhoon Pepeng. “The volcanic deposits (from Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 eruption) are not entirely gone, but they now form a permanent part of the landscape,” he noted.
Sabit said, however, that muddy flows from Mt. Pinatubo’s slopes are still expected and that this could be attributed to “topsoil erosion”.
“Mt. Pinatubo has remained very quiet,” he stressed.
