Experts say no basis to claim 'Apolaki Caldera is an active supervolcano'

Published on October 20, 2025 at 05:48
2 min read
By Ara Eugenio, AFP Philippines

Geologists say there is no evidence the Apolaki Caldera -- part of an extinct volcano located in the Philippine Sea -- could erupt and wipe the country off the map, contrary to doomsday posts spreading across social media after a string of deadly quakes hit the Philippines. Volcanic activity where the caldera is located ceased 22 to 26 million years ago, one of the researchers who discovered Apolaki told AFP.

"GOODBYE PHILIPPINES," reads overlaid text on an AI-generated Facebook image shared on October 11, 2025 that shows a glowing map of the country beside a whirlpool-like formation to its east.

The caption of the image, which bears the watermark of Google's AI assistant tool Gemini, claims scientists have warned a "massive active supervolcano" called the Apolaki Caldera is capable of destroying the entire archipelago.

Located on the resource-rich Benham Rise -- also known as the Philippine Rise -- the caldera is an undersea feature located immediately to the east of northern Luzon island.

The caption states the Apolaki Caldera was officially discovered in 2019 by marine geophysicist Jenny Anne Barretto and her team while mapping the Philippine Rise.

"According to scientists, this active supervolcano could erupt between the years 2027 and 2028," it says, adding that a recent series of large quakes that struck the country were signs of an impending eruption.

Screenshot of false post captured on October 16, 2025, with red X added by AFP

A succession of deadly quakes in September and October killed at least 83 people in the Philippines (archived link).

The Southeast Asian nation is no stranger to earthquakes -- it is situated along the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire", which hosts more than half the world’s volcanoes.

Similar posts surfaced across social media.

"This is terrifying. There will be nothing left of the Philippines once this happens," read a comment on one of the posts.

Another said: "So many scary things going on already. God please help us."

But geologists told AFP these claims have no basis in fact.

'Does not pose a threat'

A keyword search on Google led to the 2019 study referenced in the posts, titled "Benham Rise unveiled: Morphology and structure of an Eocene large igneous province in the West Philippine Basin" (archived link).

The paper describes mapping the Benham Rise, an underwater volcanic ridge, and the discovery of the Apolaki Caldera -- but does not describe any part of the formation as an active volcano.

"Apolaki Caldera is only the collapsed top of the volcano which is Benham Rise," one of the paper's authors, Jenny Anne Barretto from research organisation Earth Sciences New Zealand, told AFP on October 14 (archived link).

Barretto explained that a caldera is typically greater than one kilometre (0.6 miles) in diameter and usually formed when the top of a volcano collapses, making the crater larger.

She stressed that volcanic activity in Benham Rise has long ceased: "Since volcanism in Benham Rise stopped 22-26 million years ago, it is considered extinct."

Moreover, Apolaki does not appear on a list of 24 active volcanoes maintained by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) (archived link).

"We can confirm that the Apolaki Caldera is not an active volcano and does not pose a threat," Melissa Mae Garcia, a science research specialist at Phivolcs’ Geologic Disaster Awareness and Preparedness Division, told AFP on October 14.

"Based on current geophysical data and scientific assessment, it is considered inactive, and there is no evidence suggesting any volcanic activity or potential hazard."

AFP has previously fact-checked misinformation around earthquakes in the Philippines.

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