A moderate plume emission was observed at Mayon Volcano over the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Sunday, Oct. 9.
Phivolcs said the plume from Mayon Volcano’s summit drifted west-southwest and southwest.
During the 24-hour monitoring of the volcano, Phivolcs also observed a volcanic earthquake, while its sulfur dioxide emission averaged 391 tons per day when it was last measured on Oct. 1.
The volcano’s edifice has also slightly inflated, possibly due to shallow magmatic activity.
Mayon Volcano’s status was raised to Alert Level 2 on Oct. 7 because of increasing unrest in volcanic activities.
Phivolcs explained that the increase in activity was “driven by shallow magmatic processes that could eventually lead to phreatic eruptions or even precede hazardous magmatic eruption.”
“The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and desist from entering the six-kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) to minimize risks from sudden explosions, rockfall and landslides,” Phivolcs warned.
“In case of ash fall events that may affect communities downwind of Mayon’s crater, people should cover their nose and mouth with damp, clean cloth or dust mask,” it added.
Phivolcs also asked civil aviation authorities to advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft.