Mayon alert level raised after steam, crater glow spotted

Mayon Volcano. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines— Volcanologists have raised Mayon’s alert status from normal to level one after the volcano exhibited abnormalities such as bluish steam emission and a persistent but weak crater glow, an official of  the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Saturday.

Eduardo Laguerta, Phivolcs resident volcanologist here, said the level one  alert was hoisted on Friday afternoon after Phivolcs instruments noted  a slight bulging or inflation in two areas of the volcano—one in the northwest portion in Barangay Buang, Tabaco City, and the other in the  southwest section in Barangay Lidong, Sto. Domingo.

He explained that the volcano’s slight deformation and crater glow could be an indication that magma activity was increasing in the volcano’s vent.

Laguerta, however, stressed that there was no indication of an imminent eruption as other factors such as low- and high-frequency volcanic quakes, high sulphur dioxide emission, lava fountaining, lava flow, magmatic activities, pyroclastic flow, and steam  and ash explosions were not yet present.

Advisory

The raising of the volcano’s alert level prompted the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) to issue an advisory strictly prohibiting any “human activity” within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ) surrounding the volcano.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda directed local disaster councils, barangays, police and the military to enforce the “no human activity,” including mountain climbing, farming, orchid gathering and ATV (all  terrain vehicle) tours in the PDZ.

He advised the disaster councils of the cities of Legazpi, Ligao and Tabaco and the towns of Daraga, Camalig, Sto. Domingo, Malilipot and Guinobatan to be on alert and closely monitor advisories released by  Phivolcs and the PDRRMC.

In its bulletin on Saturday morning, Phivolcs said that during its past 36-hour observation period, Mayon continued to emit weak and short-lived bluish fumes with persistent crater glow of Intensity 1 (weak).

Explosion

The 2,462-meter volcano experienced a steam driven phreatic explosion on May 7  that sent a 3-km high ash cloud and killed five mountaineers—three Germans, a Spaniard and their local guide.

Two weeks later, authorities rescued a Russian mountaineer who had called for help after getting lost and breaking a leg while climbing the volcano alone without a permit.

Mayon’s last recorded eruption was in December 2009 in which 8,637 families, or 40,991 persons, in 30 villages at the volcano’s foot were evacuated.

Phivolcs reiterated that the 6-km PDZ should be a no-entry zone to the public because of the perennial danger of life-threatening rockfalls,  avalanches, ash puffs and sudden phreatic or steam-driven eruptions.