Mayon still on Alert Level 1 after 2 volcanic quakes — Phivolcs

In this Feb. 26, 2014 file photo, smoke billows from the crater of Mayon volcano, one of the country's most active volcanoes, in Albay province about 550 kilometers southeast of Manila, Philippines. The Philippines' most active volcano has belched out lava fragments as big as a bus that rolled one kilometer (half a mile) down its slope, prompting authorities to start forcibly evacuating thousands of villagers, officials said Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014.
AP/Bullit Marquez, File

MANILA, Philippines — Two volcanic quakes rocked Mount Mayon in the last 24 hours, state seismologists said Thursday morning. 

In a bulletin posted 8 a.m., Phivolcs said it observed a "moderate emission of white steam-laden plumes that crept downslope before drifting east," from the volcano."Overall, the Mayon edifice is still inflated with respect to baseline parameters." 

Alert Level 1 is currently hoisted over the volcano which means that it is in abnormal condition, the state seismology bureau said.

"Although this means that presently no magmatic eruption is imminent, it is strongly advised that the public refrain from entering the 6-kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) due to the perennial life-threatening dangers of rockfalls, landslides/avalanches at the middle to upper slope, sudden ash puffs and steam-driven or phreatic eruptions from the summit." 

Phivolcs also advised that residents situated in the volcano's vicinity avoid active stream or river channels and those identified as lahar-prone areas especially during extreme weather conditions which bring heavy and prolonged rainfall. 

Typhoon Rolly, which was briefly a super typhoon and is the strongest recorded storm of 2020 so far, lashed Southern Luzon this weekend, triggering lahar flow from Mayon. 

The volcano, widely known for its "perfect cone" shape, last erupted in 2018. — Bella Perez-Rubio 

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