Photos

The view on this crater lake of Mt. Pinatubo is really astonishing and breath taking. No matter what picture you've seen on internet once you are there it is still so much different from anything you could imagine. Absolutely worth visiting this site. The trek starts from Spa Town at Bgy Sta. Juliana, from where you depart by a 4x4 jeep. We had a boat ride in a canoe. I even had a swim in the lake. The sandy bottom can be quite hot when your feet sink into it.

Mount Pinatubo is part of a chain of composite volcanoes along the Luzon arc on the west coast of the island (area map). The arc of volcanoes is due to the subduction of the Manila trench to the west. The volcano experienced major eruptions approximately 500, 3000, and 5500 years ago.
In June 1991, the second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century* took place on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, a mere 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of the capital city Manila. Up to 800 people were killed and 100,000 became homeless following the Mount Pinatubo eruption, which climaxed with nine hours of eruption on June 15, 1991.

On June 15, millions of tons of sulfur dioxide were discharged into the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease in the temperature worldwide over the next few years.

http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/pinatubo.htm

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