The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS, ; ) is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

es,

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

s, and

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

s, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the protection of life and property and in support of economic, productivity, and sustainable development. It is one of the service agencies of the Department of Science and Technology. PHIVOLCS monitors volcano, earthquake, and tsunami activity, and issues warnings as necessary. It is mandated to mitigate disasters that may arise from such

volcanic eruption A volcanic eruption occurs when material is expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure. Several types of volcanic eruptions have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior h ...

s, and other related

geotectonic Tectonics ( via Latin ) are the processes that result in the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of ''planetary tectonics'' extends the concept to other planets and moons. These processes ...

phenomena.

History

This government organization was formed after a historical merging of official functions of government institutions. One of its first predecessors is the Philippine Weather Bureau created in 1901 when meteorological, seismological and terrestrial magnetic services of the Manila Observatory were transferred from the Roman Catholic Church to the American Colonial Government. It performed earthquake monitoring in the country and has inherited and maintained the early earthquake catalogue at that time. By 1972, the Philippine Weather Bureau was reorganized under Presidential Decree No. 78 into the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). A

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

-funded project for PAGASA established a twelve-station earthquake monitoring network in the country. In February 1951, Dr. Jose M. Feliciano, Chair of the Division of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) presented a proposal for the creation of a Commission on Volcanology. The eruption of

Mount Hibok-Hibok Mount Hibok-Hibok (also known as Catarman Volcano) is a stratovolcano on Camiguin Island in the Philippines. One of the List of active volcanoes in the Philippines, active volcanoes in the country, it is part of the Pacific ring of fire. Descr ...

in December 1951 and the consequent destruction and loss of lives led to the closer cooperation by the Geology, Seismology, and Volcanology Section, committee on Volcanology of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to study volcanoes in the Philippines. This collaboration let to the enactment of Republic Act No. 766 on June 20, 1952 that created the Commission of Volcanology (COMVOL). This Commission was placed under NRCP and its office was initially set up in the College of Liberal Arts in UP Diliman. Under Executive Order No. 784 of March 17, 1982, the umbrella department of COMVOL, the National Science Development Board (NSDB) was reorganized into the National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA), and COMVOL was restructured to become the Philippine Institute of Volcanology or PHIVOLC. The seismological arm of PAGASA was officially transferred to PHIVOLC on September 17, 1984 through Executive Order No. 984, renaming the institute as the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or PHIVOLCS. The NSTA, the umbrella department for PHIVOLCS and PAGASA, became the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in 1987. The technical staff and the 12-station earthquake monitoring network was fully integrated to PHIVOLCS in 1988. PHILVOCS and the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

collaborated during the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Their forecast provided the timely evacuation of military personnel and residents that were affected by the eruption. PHIVOLCS was headed by Raymundo Punongbayan from 1982 to 2002, and it is currently headed by Renato U. Solidum Jr. from 2003 to the 2023. Dr. Teresito C. Bacolcol was appointed as the new Director and took his oath on January 23, 2023, with Science and Technology Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr. in Quezon City.

Classification of volcanoes in the Philippines

PHIVOLCS classifies volcanoes as active, potentially active, or inactive:

Active

* Eruption in historic times *Historical record within 600 years *

Radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for Chronological dating, determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of carbon-14, radiocarbon, a radioactive Isotop ...

(C14) dating to 10,000 years *Local

seismic activity An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

*Oral or folkloric history

Potentially active

*Active

solfatara A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or another rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...

s, fumaroles, or steaming activity *

Geological Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

ly young, possibly erupted < 10,000 years and for calderas and large systems, possibly < 25,000 years. *Young-looking

geomorphology Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...

(thin soil cover or sparse vegetation; low degree of erosion and dissection; young vent features; with or without vegetation cover). *Suspected seismic activity. *Documented local ground deformation. *

Geochemical Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the ...

indicators of

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma (sometimes colloquially but incorrectly referred to as ''lava'') is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also ...

tic involvement. *

Geophysical Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct investigations acros ...

proof of magma bodies. *Strong connection with

subduction Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere and some continental lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at the convergent boundaries between tectonic plates. Where one tectonic plate converges with a second p ...

zones and external tectonic settings.

Inactive

*No record of eruption and its form is beginning to change by the agents of weathering and

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

via formation of deep and long gullies.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Philippine Institute Of Volcanology And Seismology Department of Science and Technology (Philippines) Geology organizations Volcano observatories Seismological observatories, organisations and projects Volcanism of the Philippines Government agencies established in 1982 1982 establishments in the Philippines Establishments by Philippine executive order