Mayon Volcano sustains heightened restiveness
Published Jul 13, 2023 03:42 am
Lava flow from the Mayon Volcano’s crater is still occurring at a “very slow” rate, based on the monitoring of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) from Wednesday, July 12, to Thursday, July 13.
Phivolcs said that the "very slow effusion of lava" causes the collapse of the lava front and dome, increasing the amount of PDCs that travel down the slopes of Mayon.
From eight dome and lava front collapse-triggered PDCs on Wednesday, Mayon Volcano logged 10 PDCs on Thursday.
Mayon also had 286 rockfall occurrences and three volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours.
PHOTO CAPTION: The Mayon Volcano ejects massive pyroclastic density currents (PDC) towards the Basud gully in Sto. Domingo town in Albay province around 5:30 p.m. on July 10, 2023. (Niño Luces/Manila Bulletin) Phivolcs continues to detect lava flows, collapse debris, rockfall, and PDCs on the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies on Mayon Volcano's southern and southeastern flanks, respectively, as well as the Basud gully on the volcano's eastern flank. The approximate lengths of lava flow stayed at 2.8 kilometers (km) and 1.4 km, respectively, along the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies, while collapsed debris was still deposited 4 km along the Basud gully. The Mayon Volcano also continued to emit “moderate” amounts of sulfur dioxide, producing a 500-meter-high steam plume that drifted west and east-southeast.
PHOTO CAPTION: The Mayon Volcano ejects massive pyroclastic density currents (PDC) towards the Basud gully in Sto. Domingo town in Albay province around 5:30 p.m. on July 10, 2023. (Niño Luces/Manila Bulletin) Phivolcs continues to detect lava flows, collapse debris, rockfall, and PDCs on the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies on Mayon Volcano's southern and southeastern flanks, respectively, as well as the Basud gully on the volcano's eastern flank. The approximate lengths of lava flow stayed at 2.8 kilometers (km) and 1.4 km, respectively, along the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies, while collapsed debris was still deposited 4 km along the Basud gully. The Mayon Volcano also continued to emit “moderate” amounts of sulfur dioxide, producing a 500-meter-high steam plume that drifted west and east-southeast.
Alert Level 3 stays
As of Thursday, Mayon Volcano is still in a relatively high level of unrest and that a potentially hazardous eruption within weeks or even days is still possible. Phivolcs said Mayon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3. Communities near the restive volcano were advised to maintain increased vigilance against lahars and sediment-laden stream flows along channels draining the volcano edifice, as heavy rainfall could cause channel-confined lahars and sediment-laden stream flows. It was strongly advised that entry into the six-kilometer permanent danger zone be strictly prohibited. Phivolcs also noted that ash fall is most likely to occur in areas south of Mayon Volcano due to current wind patterns. Mayon Volcano’s status was upgraded twice in the past month, first to level 2 on June 5 and then to level 3 on June 8 due to “intensified magmatic unrest.”