This image of Mayon was taken from Barangay Mabinit in Legazpi City on July 21, 2023. (File photo by MARK ALVIC ESPLANA / Inquirer Southern Luzon)
MANILA, Philippines — While slowly creeping lava may be a sight to behold, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned that Mayon Volcano and its surroundings remain a danger zone, and people should remain very cautious.
Volcanologists on Saturday observed the slow effusion of lava from Mayon Volcano’s summit crater and recorded a total of 248 volcanic earthquakes over 24 hours.
This means the volcano is still in a “relatively high level” of unrest (alert level 3) and a hazardous eruption remains possible “within weeks or even days.”
The 248 volcanic earthquakes included 124 tremor events—which had a duration of one to 18 minutes and 112 rockfall events, the agency reported.
The volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission, on the other hand, averaged 1,602 tons per day as of Friday. The volcano has been under the same alert level since June when it exhibited magmatic eruption and other hazardous events, prompting evacuations.