More rockfall events recorded in Mayon Volcano in past 24 hours
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 98 rockfall events in Mayon Volcano in the last 24 hours, nearly doubling the previous day’s record of 46 events.
In its bulletin issued at 8 a.m. on Thursday, June 8, Phivolcs said the rockfall events lasted two to three minutes.
Phivolcs also noticed a continuous "moderate" degassing from the summit crater, which resulted in 500-meter-high steam-laden plumes that drifted south.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission averaged 332 tons per day when it was last measured on June 7.
Mayon Volcano's alert status was raised from Level 1 to 2 on June 5 due to "increased unrest."
Erickson Balderama, a photographer from Sto. Domingo town in Albay province, takes a long exposure photo of Mayon Volcano’s glowing crater at 4:40 a.m. on June 6, 2023 using an 800mm telephoto lens. (Photo via Niño Luces)
“The public is reminded that there is current unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes that could eventually lead to phreatic eruptions or even precede hazardous magmatic eruptions,” Phivolcs said. “Entry into the six-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone must be strictly prohibited to minimize risks from sudden explosions, rockfalls, and landslides. In case of ash fall events that may affect communities downwind of Mayon’s crater, people should cover their nose and mouth with a damp, clean cloth, or dust mask,” it pointed out. Phivolcs also requested that authorities advise pilots to avoid flying near the volcano's summit because ash from a sudden eruption can be dangerous to aircraft.
Erickson Balderama, a photographer from Sto. Domingo town in Albay province, takes a long exposure photo of Mayon Volcano’s glowing crater at 4:40 a.m. on June 6, 2023 using an 800mm telephoto lens. (Photo via Niño Luces)
“The public is reminded that there is current unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes that could eventually lead to phreatic eruptions or even precede hazardous magmatic eruptions,” Phivolcs said. “Entry into the six-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone must be strictly prohibited to minimize risks from sudden explosions, rockfalls, and landslides. In case of ash fall events that may affect communities downwind of Mayon’s crater, people should cover their nose and mouth with a damp, clean cloth, or dust mask,” it pointed out. Phivolcs also requested that authorities advise pilots to avoid flying near the volcano's summit because ash from a sudden eruption can be dangerous to aircraft.