Will Pinatubo open the year with a big bang? Swarm with more than 800 earthquakes hits below the dangerous stratovolcano in the Philippines

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Pinatubo eruption 1991, Pinatubo eruption 2021, Pinatubo earthquake swarm 2021
The cataclysmic Pinatubo eruption of 1991. Picture via USGS

Mount Pinatubo is most notorious for its VEI-6 eruption on June 15, 1991, the second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska.

But will the dangerous volcano open the year with a bang?

Philvocs is currently watching Pinatubo after a series containing around 826 small earthquakes hit below the volcano.

Mount Pinatubo earthquake swarm, 800 earthquakes hits mount pinatubo, mount pinatubo earthquake 2021, mount pinatubo eruption 2021
Mount Pinatubo earthquake swarm in January 2021.

Below, a video of the 1991’s eruption:

And here and here a list of the 10 biggest eruptions in recorded history.

The official Philvocs report

This is to notify the public and concerned authorities of recent earthquake activity in Pinatubo Volcano.

Since 20 January 2021, the Pinatubo Volcano Network (PVN) and the Philippine Seismic Network (PSN) have detected a total of 826 imperceptible earthquakes east-northeast of Pinatubo Volcano in the vicinities of the City of Mabalacat, Pampanga.

The strongest of these earthquakes occurred on 25 January at depths of 15-28 kilometers and ranged between ML1.0 and ML2.5 in magnitudes.

Mount Pinatubo earthquake swarm, 800 earthquakes hits mount pinatubo, mount pinatubo earthquake 2021, mount pinatubo eruption 2021
Increased seismic activity at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in January 2021.

Based on the general distribution of located events, these earthquakes were generated along a segment of the Sacobia Lineament, a fault that was last active during the post-eruption period of 1991.

This development serves to remind us once again that several faults are situated around the volcano and that these can generate earthquake activity that can be sometimes imperceptible and harmless but that can also sometimes be damaging.

Mount Pinatubo earthquake swarm, 800 earthquakes hits mount pinatubo, mount pinatubo earthquake 2021, mount pinatubo eruption 2021
Seismometers during earthquake swarm of Mount Pinatubo in January 2021.

On 22 April 2019, a M6.1 earthquake on the southern foot slopes of Pinatubo Volcano shook the Central Luzon region and caused fatalities and substantial damages to buildings, roads and other structures.

DOST-PHIVOLCS would like to assure the public that Pinatubo Volcano remains at Alert Level 0 and remains in quiescent condition.

Mount Pinatubo earthquake swarm, 800 earthquakes hits mount pinatubo, mount pinatubo earthquake 2021, mount pinatubo eruption 2021
Is Pinatubo ready to explode again? Via Philvocs

Although there is currently no threat from the above recent earthquake activity, communities and local government units surrounding the volcano, nonetheless, have to be reminded to be always prepared for both earthquake and volcanic hazards and to build on the lessons of what they have experienced in the past years.

So what do you think? Is Mount Pinatubo going to explode in the next future? If living in the area, I would prepare, because we are not ready for the next big blast!

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5 Comments

  1. Mr Strange Sounds,

    My AM radio news went off the air. There are zero AM radio stations playing, except one, and it is a native American station, chanting a song, around station 92.3 on dial. It happened around 1302hrs.

    Is there anything happening today that you know about which could affect AM signal?

    1315hrs MST still no AM. Not even the chanting now. All white noise?

    • Continuing:

      AM back up at 1327hrs. Long time for all AM to go down. FM was working.
      Usually a station goes dead, but not all, and then only briefly.

      Weird

      • I’m honored, but swamped here on 14,000 lbs or stonework, and some tricky steel work on interior windows. Making locking steel cabinet doors in case enemies attack. Stonework on entire exterior. Electrifying fence for human dirtbags.
        Biggest project I ever did on this ranch.

        Once it’s over (March) i could help you and be of service. Is that ok?

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