DOST-PHIVOLCS establishes the first borehole seismic station in the Philippines
The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) through the National Volcano Monitoring and Warning Program, has established the very first borehole seismic monitoring station in the Philippines at Demo Farm, Brgy. Bilog-bilog, Tanauan City, Batangas. In celebration of this milestone, an inauguration of the station, designated the VTTA or Tanauan Observation Station, will be held on 19 February 2019 at 8:00 AM.
DOST-PHIVOLCS conceptualized and eventually commissioned the VTTA in 2017 in partnership with the Tanauan City Government. The VTTA is an autonomous, solar-powered station equipped with state-of-the-art borehole broadband seismometer installed 20 meters below ground, digital data recorder, power and realtime communication systems. Its basic purpose is to monitor primarily earthquake activity beneath Taal Volcano, but it also has the capability to monitor earthquakes caused by the movement of active faults and other earthquake generators in the Philippines. The VTTA constitute’s the latest, most advanced addition to the monitoring network operated and administered by Taal Volcano Observatory.
Taal Volcano is presently at Alert Level Zero, but its current quiescence is belied by a history of violent and life-threatening unrest. Explosive eruptions in 1749, 1754 and 1911 from Volcano Island Main Crater have devastated communities situated around Taal Lake including the old towns of Sala, Lipa, Tanauan, and Talisay in Batangas Province. The 1911 eruption claimed more than 1,335 lives, while 200 people were killed during the infamous 1965 Mt. Tabaro eruption.
With its inauguration, the VTTA stands as a testament to the collective efforts of DOST-PHIVOLCS with partners in the Province of Batangas to continually improve capabilities for early-warning of potential unrest, and to the unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of communities at risk to the dangers posed by Taal.