Phivolcs records zero earthquakes but 299 rockfall events in Mayon Volcano
Lava flows from the crater of Mayon Volcano as seen in these photos taken from Daraga, Albay on Thursday, June 15. | PHOTO: INQUIRER.net / Ram Nabong
MANILA, Philippines — No earthquakes occurred in Mayon Volcano, but 299 rockfall events and eight dome-collapse pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) were recorded over the last 24 hours, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Based on its Thursday 5 a.m. bulletin, Phivolcs said that the volcano, which remains under Alert Level 3 due to “potential explosive activity within days or weeks,” continued to display “intensified unrest or magmatic unrest.”
Rockfall events monitored the day before were also at 299, with two earthquakes and seven PDCs.
Likewise, Mayon’s “very slow effusion” of lava flow remains at 2.5 kilometers (km) and 1.8 km along Mi-isi and Bonga Gullies, respectively, while the collapse debris has extended to 3.3 km from the crater, according to Phivolcs.
Moreover, the agency said Mayon released 574 tons of sulfur dioxide daily as of June 22, with plumes reaching up to 750 meters tall before drifting southwest.
Phivolcs warned residents within the area that rockfalls or landslides or avalanches; ballistic fragments; lava flows and lava fountaining; pyroclastic density currents; moderate-sized explosions; and lahars during heavy and prolonged rainfall might occur amid Mayon’s unrest.
As of June 18, NDRRMC reported that Mayon’s continuous volcanic activity has displaced 20,119 locals and affected 38,979 individuals or 10,123 families residing in 26 barangays within Bicol Region.
