Alert Level 3 still up: Mayon continues to rumble, emit lava

By Ernie Delgado

LEGAZPI CITY --- Mayon Volcano continues to rumble, with no sign of slowing down after more than three weeks of effusive eruptions, a government volcanologist said on Thursday.

However, there are also no signs that the eruption will get worse soon, according to Paul Karson Alanis, the resident volcanologist at the Ligñon Hill Mayon Observatory Station.

“As of now, the volcano’s behavior is not escalating except for the lava flow continuing to lengthen,” Alanis said during the Ugnayan sa Bicol briefing.

“But we are also not observing any signs of a decrease or weakening in the activity,” he added, speaking in Filipino.

As a result, the observatory has maintained Mayon’s Alert Level 3 status, which warns that the volcano remains in a high level of “magmatic unrest” and that the threat of moderate-sized explosions persists.

“Overall, the situation at Mayon Volcano is still abnormal, and we are still at Alert Level 3,” Alanis said.

In its latest observation bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Mayon logged 119 volcanic earthquakes, 51 pyroclastic density currents, and 344 rockfall events in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the volcano spewed 1,275 tons of sulfuric gas within a 24-hour period on Jan. 29.

Moderate plumes of smoke rose to up to 1,000 meters above the crater, drifting in two directions: east-southeast and southeast.

The bulletin noted that the crater’s glow was “fair” to the naked eye and that the volcano remains inflated, suggesting ongoing magma activity.

Alanis reiterated that under Alert Level 3, entry into the Permanent Danger Zone, which is six kilometers from the volcano, is prohibited.

Phivolcs also advised aircraft to avoid flying near the area.

Mayon erupts on average every three to 10 years. In 2013, a sudden phreatic eruption claimed the lives of five climbers, followed by new lava dome growth in late 2014.

Known as the “perfect cone” stratovolcano, Mayon is a popular tourist attraction, even though its eruptions often force thousands of villagers to evacuate their homes and livestock, leading to significant destruction. (PIA Bicol)