On a dark Saturday morning in late October, the old volcano of Mayon, standing over the Albay landscape of the Philippines, lifted a modest column of ash two hundred meters above its crater, a small breath in a longer story of restless pressure beneath the earth. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which watches such mountains so that people living in their shadow need not guess, kept the volcano at Alert Level 3, a marker of high unrest that asks for distance and patience. Nothing about the plume was dramatic in itself; it was one signal among many, and it is the accumulat
Mayon Volcano Emits Ash Plume as Alert Level 3 Remains in Effect
On a dark Saturday morning in late October, the old volcano of Mayon, standing over the Albay landscape of the Philippines, lifted a modest column of ash two hundred meters above its crater, a small breath in a longer story of restless pressure beneath the earth. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which watches such mountains so that people living in their shadow need not guess, kept the volcano at Alert Level 3, a marker of high unrest that asks for distance and patience. Nothing about the plume was dramatic in itself; it was one signal among many, and it is the accumulation of signals that tells the watchers whether a mountain is gathering its strength or letting it go.
At 5:17 on Saturday morning, October 31, cameras at the Ligao Station and at the observatory on Ligñon Hill caught a plume of ash rising 200 meters above Mayon's summit crater, drifting west-southwest. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, known as Phivolcs, recorded it as part of a longer picture of heightened activity.
The ash was only one element. Over the same monitoring period the agency logged one moderately explosive eruption lasting six minutes, 15 volcanic earthquakes, 30 rockfall events and crater glow. Sulfur dioxide reached 988 metric tons per day on October 30, and plumes across the watch rose between 100 and 3,000 meters. Against that range, the morning's 200-meter column sat near the gentle end.
The volcano also remains swollen, a sign of pressure still working within its body, though a brief deflation on the northeastern flank has been noted. Mayon stays under Alert Level 3, which carries firm rules: no entry into the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone, and no aircraft over the mountain. Phivolcs has warned of rockfalls, ballistic projectiles, lava flows and moderate explosions, and of lahars that heavy rain could send down loosened slopes.
For now, the danger zone and flight ban hold. The agency's daily bulletins will show whether the mountain is building toward something larger or settling into a quieter rhythm.
At 5:17 on the morning of Saturday, October 31, cameras at the Mayon Volcano Ligao Station and at the Mayon Volcano Observatory on Ligñon Hill recorded an ash plume rising 200 meters above the summit crater. The plume drifted west-southwest. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, known as Phivolcs, reported the emission as the volcano continued to show signs of heightened activity.
The ash emission was one entry in a longer account. In its 24-hour monitoring bulletin, Phivolcs logged one moderately explosive eruption that lasted six minutes. It also counted 15 volcanic earthquakes and 30 rockfall events over the same period, and observers noted crater glow.
The gas readings add to the picture. Sulfur dioxide emissions reached 988 metric tons per day on October 30. Over the monitoring period, volcanic plumes rose between 100 and 3,000 meters above the crater, drifting west-northwest and west-southwest. Phivolcs described the emissions as ranging from moderate to voluminous, so the 200-meter plume early Saturday was at the low end of what the volcano produced.
Phivolcs also reported that the volcano remains swollen, a sign of ongoing pressure within the edifice. Brief deflation was recorded on its northeastern side, though the agency's report still characterizes the overall condition as swelling.
Mayon remains under Alert Level 3, which indicates a high level of volcanic unrest. The designation carries restrictions. Phivolcs reiterated its warning against entering the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone around the volcano, and it prohibited aircraft from flying over the mountain.
The agency listed the hazards that may occur: rockfalls, ballistic projectiles, lava flows and moderate explosions. It added that lahar flows are also possible during heavy rainfall, a concern because loose volcanic deposits on the slopes can be carried downstream when rain is intense.
For now, the situation stays where Phivolcs has placed it. The danger zone and the flight ban remain in force, and the agency's daily bulletins, with their counts of earthquakes, rockfalls, gas output and ground swelling, will show whether Mayon's activity is building or easing.
Citazioni salienti
Phivolcs reiterated its warning against entering the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone and prohibited flights over the volcano.— Phivolcs (paraphrased)
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