January 30, 1911 Tsunami: Taal, Luzon Island, Philippines

The partial vacuum produced at the moment of the explosion and the resulting diminution of atmospheric pressure set up convergent air currents toward the volcano, which were so pronounced that the wind acquired considerable force... To the descent of these winds upon Lake Bombon are probably due, at least in part, the tremendous waves which formed on the latter and, as we shall see, considerably augmented the destruction and loss of life on all the shores of the lake.

The second zone, or area of partial destruction, within which the fall of ashes, though less heavy, was still very considerable, comprises all the shores of the lake. Within it there were likewise some victims who were carried off by the tremendous waves which, according to the statements of some survivors, swept over places 3 meters above the ordinary level of the lake. The loss of animals due to the same cause was very much greater and many of these perished subsequently of hunger as not a blade of grass was left... Balete, east side: Four drowned.

(above from reference #2340)

Manila, Jan. 31.-Twenty persons, all natives, lost their lives in the tidal wave which followed the eruption of the volcano Taal, according to press advices received here. (reference #9907)

Fifty Filipinos Perish in Severe Tidal Wave Manila, Jan. 30.--Fifty lives were lost in a tidal wave following Saturday's eruption of the volcano Taal, according to advices from there today. Half of the village of Lemery was destroyed. The reported sinking of the island on which the volcano is situated, a distance of from two to four feet, is confirmed by today's dispatches. Mud and ashes cover the surrounding country to a depth of six inches. An American school teacher has notified the Government officials here that all of the small villages on the western shoes of Lake Taal were overwhelmed by the tidal wave. He says that he believes the loss of life will not be less than three hundred, but this is not confirmed by others on the scene. (reference #3567)

Since the eruption was not sublacustrine, subaqueous explosions cannot be the cause of the tsunami, nor did the earthquakes of the initial phase generate tsunamis. Thus, as for the 1754 Plinian eruption, a pyroclastic flow mechanism is more likely (Delos Reyes et al. 2018). However, atmospheric shock waves generated by the strongest explosions (Pratt 1911) are another possible source mechanism of the tsunamis. Moore et al. (1966) also related the tsunamis observed during the 1965 eruption to shock waves, although the transfer of energy from air to water (or phase-coupling) operates mostly on large areas of deep water (Yokoyama 1987), i.e., larger and deeper than Taal Caldera Lake. (reference #12533)

Reference #10958 lists this event as a seiching event, not a tsunami