The September 28–30, 1965 eruption of Taal Volcano, Philippines

Abstract

A moderately violent phreatomagmatic explosive eruption of Taal Volcano, Philippines, occurred from 28 to 30 September, 1965. The main phreatic explosions, which were preceded by ejection of basaltic spatter, opened a new crater 1.5 km long and 0.3 km wide on the southwest side of Volcano Island in Lake Taal. The eruption covered an area of about 60 square kilometers with a blanket of ash more than 25 cm thick and killed approximately 200 persons.

The clouds that formed during the explosive eruption rose to heights of 15 to 20 km and deposited fine ash as far as 80 km west of the vent. At the base of the main explosion column, flat, turbulent clouds spread radially, with hurricane velocity, transporting ash, mud, lapilli and blocks. The horizontally moving, debris-laden clouds, sandblasted trees, coated the blast side of trees and houses with mud, and deposited coarse ejecta with dune-type bedding in a zone roughly 4 km in all directions from the explosion crater.