Mayon Volcano sees six lava fountaining events in past 24 hours

The Mayon Volcano saw six episodes of lava fountaining that spewed ash and lava from 6:02 a.m. Wednesday to 3 a.m. on Thursday, according to the latest bulletin from state volcanologists.

In its 8.am. Mayon bulletin on Thursday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) described the events, which each came along with tremors, as “intense but sporadic” lasting between nine and 58 minutes each.

A report by Saleema Refran on Unang Balita on Thursday said such events have been occurring with increasing frequency and duration, or every four to five hours, and could last from seven minutes to 1.5 hours.

Apart from the tremor events corresponding to lava fountaining, scientists also recorded seven other tremors, making for a total of 13, according to the bulletin.

Alert Level 4, which means a hazardous eruption is possible within days, is still in place over the volcano.

The lava fountains reached 400 to 500 meters high, the bulletin said, but a report by Raffy Tima on Unang Balita on Thursday, citing scientists, said the fountains reached as high as 600 meters.

The events generated ash plumes which reached three to five kilometers above the crater, and “fed lava flows on the Mi-isi and Bonga Gullies, sprayed near-vent lava spatter, and fed incandescent rockfall on the summit area.”

Runout from pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), two of which occurred in the past 24 hours due to lava collapse, now exceeds 5 kilometers from the summit crater, the bulletin said. Numerous rockfall events were likewise recorded.

Lava flows at the Mi-isi and Buyuan lava flows have moved 3 km and 1 km from the summit crater, respectively, while sulfur dioxide gas emission was measured to be at an average of 1,252 tonnes per day, lower than Wednesday’s figure of 2,466 tonnes per day.

Meanwhile, a report by Saleema Refran on the same program said the volcano has extruded 6.2 million cubic meters of ash, lava, rock, and other materials, as well as "deadly" pyroclastic flow, a combination of hot ash, molten rock, gas, and lava.

Ed Laguerta, Region V's chief volcanologist, said pyroclastic flow caused "instant death" to any living creature it came into contact with during a 1993 eruption.

He also said scientists are not dismissing either the possibility that the volcano will sustain an increasing trend, or that it has peaked.

Danger zone

Authorities continue to remind the public not to enter the 8-km extended danger zone due to the hazards posed by the volcano’s activity.

They also warned of ashfall and possible lahar flows.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Guinobatan town is already preparing to evacuate its inmates in case the Mayon’s ash plume ejection worsens, according to the Unang Balita report. Inmates at Camalig jail have already been relocated to Legazpi on Tuesday.

The Mayon’s edifice sustains swelling or inflation, the bulletin said, “consistent with pressurization by magmatic intrusion.”

More than 61,000 residents have fled to temporary shelters amid the Mayon Volcano's activity.

The provincial government of Albay is awaiting its Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The DBM has reportedly said the IRA has been released and its downloading being fast-tracked.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, for its part, said it could provide food for evacuees for three months. —Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/KG, GMA News