In addition to the Taal Volcano, local agencies in the Philippines are also monitoring another volcano in the country that's in danger of erupting. According to the latest reports, the Philippines' Mayon Volcano has also been showing signs of activity.
Located in the province of Albay, the Mayon Volcano lies about 430 kilometres from Taal Volcano. It is mainly renowned for its perfect cone shape.
Mayon Volcano's Current Status
It is regarded as the most active volcano in the Philippines with almost 50 eruptions in the last 500 years. Due to its status, the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), has been closely monitoring it. The status of the volcano has been on Alert Level 2 since March of 2018. It began showing signs of unrest in January of the same year after spewing lava and ash plumes from its crater.
This volcano's active state has prompted local authorities to implement a permanent six-kilometre danger zone around Mayon in preparation for a sudden eruption. In a recent bulletin released by PHIVOLCS, the agency reported that the volcano's sulfur dioxide emission has been consistent at around 115 tons per day. In volcanoes, this usually indicates the upward movement of magma. Despite the possible indication of magmatic activity, the agency noted that it had not detected volcanic earthquakes in the past couple of days.
Mayon Volcano's Threat Of Eruption
Compared with the Taal Volcano, which is currently at Alert Level 3, Mayon is relatively calmer. However, even though the latter is only at Alert Level 2, the PHIVOLCS noted that the volcano can still display moderate activity. If its condition worsens, the increased volcanic activity could lead to an eruption.
"Alert Level 2 currently prevails over Mayon Volcano," the agency stated. "This means that Mayon is at a moderate level of unrest. DOST-PHIVOLCS reminds the public that sudden explosions, lava collapses, pyroclastic density currents or PDCs and ashfall can still occur and threaten areas in the upper to middle slopes of Mayon."
PHIVOLCS also warned pilots to avoid flying close to Mayon's summit since debris from sudden explosions can endanger their aircraft.
