Kanlaon is a stratovolcano located in the Philippines, standing at an elevation of 2,422.0 meters within a subduction zone and continental crust tectonic setting. Maintained by the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, the official record documents 31 confirmed eruptions spanning from the 19th century CE to the 21st century CE. Based on the available event records, the earliest recorded eruption began on July 2, 1866 CE, while the latest recorded eruption sequence started on October 19, 2024 CE, and concluded on March 25, 2026 CE.
Historical Eruption Distribution by Century
Historical activity at Kanlaon has been documented across three centuries. The Smithsonian record shows a varying frequency of confirmed eruptions over time:
- 19th century CE: 3 confirmed eruptions, beginning with the earliest recorded event on July 2, 1866 CE.
- 20th century CE: 20 confirmed eruptions, including events such as the October 1969 CE eruption and the March to July 1987 CE activity.
- 21st century CE: 8 confirmed eruptions, encompassing activity in August 1996 CE and the multi-year span from October 2024 CE to March 2026 CE.
Volcanic Explosivity and Observation Methods
The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) provides a relative scale to characterize the size and magnitude of explosive volcanic eruptions. Across Kanlaon's 31 observation-backed events, the largest recorded VEI is 3.0. All recorded eruptions in the dataset utilized reported observations as their evidence method. Representative historical events include:
- July 2, 1866 CE: Eruption number 16722, recorded with a VEI of 2.0.
- October 10 – October 29, 1969 CE: Eruption number 16732, recorded with a VEI of 2.0.
- March 30 – July 2, 1987 CE: Eruption number 16739, recorded with a VEI of 1.0.
- August 10, 1996 CE: Eruption number 16746, recorded with a VEI of 2.0.
- October 19, 2024 – March 25, 2026 CE: Eruption number 22594, recorded with a VEI of 3.0.
Note: The representative records above illustrate select entries from the broader collection of 31 confirmed eruptions.
Frequently asked questions
When did Kanlaon's earliest recorded eruption take place?
The earliest recorded eruption in the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program record for Kanlaon began on July 2, 1866 CE.
The official record confirms a total of 31 eruptions.
How many confirmed eruptions does Kanlaon have?
What is the largest recorded VEI for Kanlaon?
The largest recorded Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) for Kanlaon is 3.0.
What type of volcano is Kanlaon and where is it located?
Kanlaon is a stratovolcano situated in the Philippines at an elevation of 2,422.0 meters.
Image credits
- Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS-DOST) — Wikimedia Commons source — Public domain
Sources and further context
Official datasets support the event-specific facts.