Mayon Volcano 'very slow' lava effusion persists
Published Jun 29, 2023 04:19 am
Lava continues to cascade down the slopes of the erupting Mayon Volcano, based on the latest monitoring of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Phivolcs said the “very slow” lava effusion from the crater of Mayon Volcano has persisted between Wednesday, June 28, and Thursday, June 29, feeding lava flows and collapsing debris along the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies, on the south and southeast sides of the volcano, respectively.
The lava flows along the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies have advanced to approximately 2,100 meters and 1,300 meters, respectively, Phivolcs said in its bulletin released at 8 a.m. on Thursday, June 29.
In addition, collapsed debris has been deposited up to 3,300 meters away from the Mayon’s crater.
During the 24-hour observation of the restive volcano, Phivolcs recorded seven dome-collapse pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) lasting three minutes, two lava front collapse PDCs generating a 1,000-meter-high light-brown plume, 296 rockfall occurrences, and one volcanic earthquake. “Continuous moderate degassing from the summit crater produced steam-laden plumes that rose 1,000 meters before drifting to west-northwest, north-northwest and northeast direction,” it added.’ On June 26, Phivolcs said that a “low-rate effusive eruption of degassed lava has been transpiring for the past two weeks.”
The “very slow” lava effusion from Mayon Volcano's summit crater continued for the 15th day in this image taken on June 26, 2023. The effusion of lava caused incandescent rockfall and pyroclastic density current (PDC) activity along the Mi-isi and Bonga Gullies. (Screengrab from Phivolcs)
During the 24-hour observation of the restive volcano, Phivolcs recorded seven dome-collapse pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) lasting three minutes, two lava front collapse PDCs generating a 1,000-meter-high light-brown plume, 296 rockfall occurrences, and one volcanic earthquake. “Continuous moderate degassing from the summit crater produced steam-laden plumes that rose 1,000 meters before drifting to west-northwest, north-northwest and northeast direction,” it added.’ On June 26, Phivolcs said that a “low-rate effusive eruption of degassed lava has been transpiring for the past two weeks.”
Alert level 3 stays
Phivolcs noted that Mayon Volcano’s current condition might last for a few months, therefore Alert Level 3 is still in effect. The active volcano in Albay is “currently in a relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption within weeks or even days is possible,” it pointed out. Phivolcs strongly recommended the evacuation of residents within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ) due to the risk of PDCs, lava flows, rockfalls, and other volcanic hazards. “Local government units, disaster officials, and the general public are urged to heed avoidance of the PDZ, as the summit lava dome has grown above and filled up the summit crater, increasing the chances of lava collapse or potential volcanic flows onto other sectors of the volcano,” Phivolcs warned. It added that heavy rainfall could cause channel-confined lahars and sediment-laden stream flows on channels where PDC deposits were emplaced. Likewise, it said that ash fall events may “most likely” occur on the south side of the volcano, based on the current wind pattern. Phivolcs advised civil aviation authorities to ask pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano because ash from sudden eruption may pose hazards to aircraft.