Gov't closely monitoring Datun volcanoes in Taipei

Officials at the Central Geological Survey (CGS) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday there is no need for people to panic over possible immediate volcanic eruptions.

But researchers at the CGS, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications as well as the academic institutions agreed that they cannot rule out new eruptions of volcanoes in the Datun Mountain right in the northern area of Taipei City,

The group of dormant volcanoes, which were estimated to have last erupted some 5,000 to 200,000 years ago, have long been a key geothermal source for the hot springs in northern Taipei,

But they are presently still defined as “potential live volcanoes” with possibility of new eruptions in view of their relatively young age and the existence of high-temperature lava underground,

CGS officials said except for the locations of geothermal sources and hot springs, the whole area, including Yangmingshan National Park, is now covered by thick plants and the mountains show no signs of bulging.

These indicate that there is no immediate danger of new eruptions.

They said geologists and researchers at all government agencies and institutes will join hands in intensifying the monitoring the volcano with advanced technical know-how and equipment to enable early detection of new volcanic activity.

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