Bulusan Volcano

Updated: May 1, 2025 02:13 GMT - refresh

Stratovolcano

Luzon Island, Philippines, 12.77°N / 124.05°E

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Summit height: 1565 m / 5,134 ft

Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)

Last update: 30 Apr 2025 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Bulusan, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, is Luzon's southernmost volcano. It lies at the SE end of the Bicol volcanic arc occupying the peninsula of the same name that forms the elongated SE tip of Luzon island.

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Bulusan webcams / live data | News/Updates | Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: Explosive. In historic time, frequent small to moderate phreatic and phreatomagmatic ash eruptions. Mudflows from loose deposits on flank are often generated when heavy rains fall (e.g. during taifuns).
Bulusan volcano eruptions: 2016, 2015, 2011, Oct 2006-07, Mar-Jun 2006, 1994, 1988, 1983, 1981, 1979, 1978, 1933, 1928, 1918-22, 1916, 1894, 1892, 1889, 1886, 1852(?)

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
Apr 20, 07:39 pm (Universal Time)	1.8 33 km	17 km (10.5 mi) to the N	001 km S 67° W of Gubat (Sorsogon)	Info

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Background

Bulusan is a young andesitic volcano built upon the NE rim of an older dacitic-to-rhyolitic caldera, the 11-km wide Irosin caldera, which was formed about 35,000-40,000 years ago.
Bulusan is flanked by several other large intracaldera lava domes and cones, including the prominent Mount Jormajan lava dome on the SW flank and Sharp Peak to the NE. The summit of 1565-m-high Bulusan volcano is unvegetated and contains a 300-m-wide, 50-m-deep crater. Three small craters are located on the SE flank.
Many moderate explosive eruptions have been recorded at Bulusan since the mid-19th century.

Significant volcanic eruptions: Bulusan volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Bulusan has had at least 24 confirmed volcanic eruptions, out of which 22 are documented by historical records, while the others can be inferred from geological evidence.
There is one uncertain or discredited eruption in 1852 from Bulusan volcano.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Bulusan volcano since around 1900. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Bulusan can be found on the news page of Bulusan volcano.

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths	Damage
2022 Jun 5 - Jun 12	Historical obs./docs.	2
2017 Jun 5	SE Flank Crater area Historical obs./docs.	1
2016 Jun 10 - Dec 29	Upper SE flank and summit vent Historical obs./docs.	2
2016 Feb 22	Summit crater Historical obs./docs.	2
2015 May 1 - Jul 17	Summit crater Historical obs./docs.	2
2010 Nov 6 - 2011 May 13	Summit crater Historical obs./docs.	2
2011 Feb 23 (eruptive episode 2011 Feb 21)	Historical obs./docs.	2	1		Info
2011 Feb 23: The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOCS) reported Mt. Bulusan exploded 9:15 a.m. on Feb 21, local time. Ash from the steam-triggered explosion hit as high as two kilometers, according to PHIVOLCS director Renato Solidum said. PHIVOLCS hoisted an alert level 1 on Mt. Bulusan and advised people not to enter inside the four-kilometer radius, designated as a permanent danger zone. The agency is also advising pilots not to fly close to the volcano's summit. On Feb 23, a 2-year-old boy in Bulan town, Sorsogon province died after reportedly inhaling ash from Bulusan volcano. Cited references #9294 ABS-CBN News (2011): Bulusan ash kills boy. ABS-CBN News. Downloaded from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/02/23/11/bulusan-ash-kills-boy #9295 Philstar (2011): Bulusan eruption prompts evacuation of 2,000 people. Philstar News. Downloaded from http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=659581&publicationSubCategoryId=200 Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
2006 Oct 10 - 2007 Oct 4	Historical obs./docs.	2
2006 Mar 21 - Jun 28	Historical obs./docs.	2
2006 Jun 7 (eruption 2006 Mar 21 - Jun 28)	Historical obs./docs.	2	1		Info
2006 Jun 7: Beginning on 21 March at 2258, Bulusan erupted producing ash clouds that rose as high as 2 km from the summit. The ash fell on nearby villages and people are not permitted to enter within 4 km of the volcano's crater. In June, a news article reported one death caused by an asthma attack from exposure to ash. Cited references #2432 Venzke, E., R.W. Wunderman, L. McClelland, T. Simkin, J.F. Luhr, L. Siebert, and G. Mayberry (eds.) (2002-): Global Volcanism, 1968 to the Present. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-4 (http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/). Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1994 Nov 27 - 1995 Jan 28 or later	Historical obs./docs.	2
1988 Feb 20 - Mar 8	Historical obs./docs.	2
1983 Jun 25 - Jun 29	Historical obs./docs.	2
1981 Apr 9 - Apr 27	Historical obs./docs.	3
1979 Dec 27 - 1980 Sep 28	Historical obs./docs.	3
1978 Jul 29 - Aug 14	Historical obs./docs.	2
1978 Jul 29 (eruption 1978 Jul 29 - Aug 14)	Historical obs./docs.	2		light
1933 Dec 25	Historical obs./docs.	2
1933 Dec 25 (eruption 1933 Dec 25)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	2	9	heavy	Info
1933 Dec 25: Reference #414: 1933, December 25. According to newspaper reports, the Bulusan Volcano (southeast of Luzon Island) erupted strongly. The strong tidal wave which accompanied the eruption did great damage. Nine people died. (Anon., 1934; Neumann van Padang, 1953). This information is reproduced in some compendia with no indication of the site (Neumann, 1935; Iida et al. ,1967; Cox, 1970). Cited references #414 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1974): A catalogue of tsunamis on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 173-1968. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 439 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5077, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 447 p.] #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1928 Jun	Historical obs./docs.	2
1918 Oct - 1922 May	Historical obs./docs.	2
1916 Jan 18 - Jan 22	Historical obs./docs.	2

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Bulusan Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Bulusan volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Bulusan occurred in 2022.

+How often does Bulusan volcano erupt?

Since 1886, Bulusan volcano has had at least 22 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 6.3 years.
Many eruptions of Bulusan have lasted more than one year. In total, the volcano has been in eruption during 28 out of 139 years until now. In other words, Bulusan has been active at least one in 5 years on average. Note that this value is likely an underestimate, because the known history of eruptions from Bulusan is likely incomplete, especially further back in time.

+How active is Bulusan volcano at present?

Bulusan volcano is relatively active: Since 1900, it has had 24 eruptions, and been active during 24 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Bulusan has been in eruption one in 5.3 years on average. The last eruption was in 2022 and ended 3 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Bulusan volcano?

The largest eruption of Bulusan volcano in historic times occurred in 1981. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Bulusan Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).