This is the dramatic moment Taal Volcano emitted steam during a minor phreatic eruption in the Philippines today.

Footage shows a small burst of volcanic vapour coming from the crater in Batangas province on Thursday, July 17.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in an advisory: 'Minor phreatomagmatic activity occurred between 3:01 pm and 3:13 pm today, 17 July 2025, at the Taal Main Crater (MCL), consisting of three eruptive events that lasted 4 to 6 minutes based on visual, seismic, and infrasound recordings.

'The events were preceded by strong tremor and produced a plume that rose 2,400 metres above the MCL before drifting southeast. Alert Level 1 prevails over Taal Volcano.'

Taal has been under Alert Level 1 since 2022, making the volcano island a permanent danger zone.

A phreatic eruption, also known as a steam-blast eruption, occurs when water beneath the ground or on the surface is heated by magma, lava, or hot rocks. The intense heat causes the water to vaporise rapidly, resulting in an explosion of steam, gas, ash, and rock fragments.

Unlike magmatic eruptions, phreatic eruptions do not involve new magma reaching the surface.

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands inside the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' where the majority of Earth's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes happen.