Mayon Volcano's heightened restiveness enters first month

Mayon Volcano continued to spew lava on Wednesday, one month after its first eruption.

In its 8 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said lava continuously flowed from Mayon Volcano's crater overnight accompanied by incandescent rockfalls in the Miisi and Bonga-Buyuan channels.

PHIVOLCS also reported that sporadic and weak lava fountaining events were also observed in the past 24 hours, from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The lava fountaining events lasted five to 50 minutes, it added.

The agency said volumes of lava flows from the summit crater have advanced to 3.3 kilometers, 4.5 kilometers and 900 meters down the Miisi, Bonga and Basud Gullies, respectively.

It added that pyroclastic density currents or PDCs have deposited to the 4.6, 4.5 and 4.2 kilometer reaches of the Miisi, Bonga and Basud Gullies, respectively.

PHIVOLCS said its seismic network in Mayon Volcano also detected 94 volcanic earthquakes, which corresponded to the lava fountaining events.

Meanwhile, the agency said lahar flowed from the volcano amid heavy rainfall on Tuesday due to Tropical Depression Basyang.

The agency has dispatched teams to monitor river channels around the volcano to monitor the flow of lahar.

Mayon Volcano initially erupted last January 13. The eruption was followed by more events the following days, which prompted PHIVOLCS to raise Alert Level 4 on the volcano.

The PHIVOLCS has also extended the danger zone to eight kilometers due to the advancing lava and pyroclastic materials spewed by the volcano during the last four weeks.

At least 70,000 residents living within the eight-kilometer extended danger zone have been displaced by the volcano's increased restiveness. —ALG, GMA News