New lava spines emerge at Mayon; rockfalls spike in December — Phivolcs
By Jel Santos
Newly extruded dark lava spines were observed at the summit of Mayon Volcano this week, coinciding with a surge in daily rockfall events, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
“Close-up photographs of the Mayon Volcano summit taken on 8 to 10 December 2025 reveal new spines of dark lava that have been extruded from the summit lava dome,” Phivolcs said.
The agency noted that these physical changes at the crater “were observed the past week and signal the presence of new and shallow magma within the edifice.”
According to Phivolcs, the fresh lava extrusion resulted in a sharp increase in rockfall occurrences.
“The extrusion of new lava led to the increase of rockfall from the 2025 average of 3 events/day to 16 events/day in December 2025,” it noted.
Despite the changes, the agency said Alert Level 1 remains in effect over Mayon Volcano.
However, Phivolcs reminded communities and visitors to strictly avoid the Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ).
“DOST-PHIVOLCS reminds the public that Alert Level 1 prevails over Mayon and entry into the 6-kilometer PDZ must be strictly prohibited due to increased chances of volcanic hazards with this development,” it warned.