The worst may be ahead. Mount Pinatubo is part of what scientists call the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” created by movement of sections of the Pacific Ocean floor. It lay dormant for more than 600 years, but the Philippine plate was still pressing deep under the islands. That triggered a major earthquake last July and may have created a combustible mixture of ground water and molten rock beneath Pinatubo. As in 1380, “a very large eruption” may bury areas within a 12-mile radius, said Raymundo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. He says Pinatubo may have to disgorge 130 million cubic yards of lava and ash before it settles down. That could take months - or years.
The future of Clark Air Base, well within the danger zone, was suddenly under a cloud. Aircraft had been moved to a naval station near Subic Bay and other Pacific bases; more than 14,000 military personnel and their families were evacuated last week at the first serious rumblings. The last 1,500 people - who were on guard against looting - departed on Saturday. Left uncertain were negotiations over Clark’s future. Asked one U.S. official “How much do we need to hold onto Clark if it’s under threat from a volcano for years?” Filipinos joked that Pinatubo could accomplish what anti-American protest cannot.
Multiple eruptions threatened a broad area of the Philippines.
