Attention focuses on Taal: Decade volcano of the Philippines

Based on its complex and little‐understood eruptive history and its enormous potential for disaster, Taal was chosen as a Decade Volcano by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) from among 200 potentially active volcanoes in the Philippines. Taal is frequently active, several million people live within a 20‐km radius of its caldera rim, and it is surrounded by well‐utilized infrastructure. Although its hazards were momentarily eclipsed by events since 1991 at Mount Pinatubo, Taal is the larger threat to the Philippine population.