Taal Volcano Erupts in Philippines

In January, a massive volcanic eruption shook the island nation of the Philippines.

After 43 years of inactivity, the Tall Volcano roared to life, spewing plumes of ash and lava into the sky.

The first eruption took place at around 1 p.m. on January 12.

Residents of Luzon Island, where the volcano is located, reported hearing loud rumbling noises coming from the ground shortly before the eruption.

The initial blast was soon followed by a series of increasingly stronger eruptions.

By nightfall, a column of ash 10 to 15 kilometers high had shot out of the volcano, bringing with it lightning, chunks of flying lava, and ash rain.

The Philippine Institute of Volcano-logy and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued an Alert Level 4, meaning that a dangerous eruption could happen at any moment.

Schools and offices were closed and all flights were cancelled.

Additionally, numerous towns were evacuated and thousands of people were forced to flee their homes.

Experts confirmed that the eruption was caused by a magmatic intrusion.

This occurs when molten rock, called magma, flows into the cracks between layers of underground rock.

The magma then hardens and puts the rock under increased stress.

The pressure causes the rock to break, triggering an earthquake.

The Taal area is well known for its seismic activity.

On this occasion, however, multiple earthquakes created an uncommon situation.

They moved enough rock to allow magma to flow up to the surface.

When the magma reached the lake inside the volcano's crater, it caused the water to evaporate instantly.

The result was an explosion of steam and rock.

After weeks of monitoring, earthquake activity around Taal has decreased.

Consequently, PHIVOLCS lowered the Alert Level to Level 2.

But although the threat of an eruption is no longer an immediate concern, there is still a small chance that Taal could erupt once again.

 

• roar rɔː (큰 짐승 등이) 으르렁거리다[포효하다] / 으르렁거림[포효], 함성, 폭소

• spew spjuː 뿜어져 나오다, 분출되다, 뿜어[토해] 내다, 분출하다

• plume pluːm (연기·수증기 등이 피어오르는) 기둥  ash ǽʃ 재, 화산재, 담뱃재  lava ˈlɑːvə 용암

• rumbling ˈrʌmblɪŋ 우르릉[웅웅/웅성]거리는 소리  rumble ˈrʌmbl 우르르[우르릉/웅웅]거리는 소리를 내다

• initial ɪˈnɪʃl 처음의, 초기의  blast blæst 폭발 / 폭발시키다, 폭파[발파]하다  a series of  일련의 , 연달아 , 잇달아

• increasingly ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli 점점 더, 갈수록 더  nightfall ˈnaɪtfɔːl 해질녘, 해거름 (=dusk)  harden ˈhɑːrdn 굳다, 경화되다, 굳히다, 경화시키다

• a column of  의 열.   chunk tʃʌŋk (두툼한) 덩어리 ,비격식 상당히 많은 양   molten |moʊltən 녹은  melt melt  (열 때문에 액체가 되도록) 녹다[녹이다]

• issue ˈɪʃuː 주제[안건], 쟁점, 사안 , 문제 / 발표[공표]하다  flee fliː 달아나다, 도망하다

• evacuate ɪˈvækjueɪt 대피[소개(疏開)]시키다 , (위험한 장소를) 떠나다, 피난하다 , (위나 장을) 비우다, 대소변을 보다

• be forced to 할 수 밖에 없다.    force fɔːrs  (~을 하도록) ~를 강요하다[(어쩔 수 없이) …하게 만들다] (=compel)

• intrusion ɪnˈtruːʒn 침범[침해](하는 것)  intrude ɪnˈtruːd (남이 원치 않거나 가서는 안 될 곳에) 자기 마음대로 가다[침범하다]

• trigger ˈtrɪɡə 방아쇠 / 촉발시키다 (=set off)  seismic ˈsaɪzmɪk 지진의, 지진에 의한 ,  (영향·규모가) 엄청난

• evaporate ɪˈvæpəreɪt (액체가[를]) 증발하다[시키다] , (차츰) 사라지다[증발하다]