Lava spines appear at Mayon Volcano’s summit

Spines of dark lava have been spotted coming out of Mayon Volcano’s summit lava dome, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported on Wednesday.

In a social media post, PHIVOLCS showed close-up photos of the volcano, taken from December 8 to 10, which revealed changes that supposedly indicated “the presence of a new and shallow magma within the edifice.”

This activity has also caused more rockfalls, with an average of 16 events per day so far this month, the agency said.

Mayon Volcano is currently at Alert Level 1, which means low-level unrest.

PHIVOLCS earlier warned residents in nearby Albay about possible mudflows (lahars) caused by rain from Tropical Depression Verbena.—MCG, GMA Integrated News