Taal Volcano | 15 Jan 2020
Why in News
A volcano called Taal on the island of Luzon, 50 km from Manila, Philippines erupted on 12th January, 2020.
- Compound Volcano: Taal is classified as a “complex” volcano by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
- A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano, is defined as one that doesn't have just one main vent or cone but several eruption points. Another such example is Mount Vesuvius on the west coast of Italy.
- Unpredictable: Taal has erupted more than 30 times in the last few centuries, the most recent was in 1977.
- It needs to be noted that the Philippines is situated at the boundaries of two tectonic plates — the Philippines Sea Plate and the Eurasian plate — thus susceptible to earthquakes and volcanism.