LOOK: 'Newborn dark lava dome' at Mayon summit

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded another pyroclastic density current (PDC) event at the Mayon Volcano on Thursday.

In a social media post, Mayon Volcano’s summit was seen with what PHIVOLCS described as a "newborn dark lava dome" on the Miisi Gully.

The event was recorded around 11:40 a.m.

As of Thursday, PhiVolcs said that there had already been 49 PDCs at the Miisi, Bonga, and Basud Gullies of the volcano.

Earlier, PhiVolcs also reported a PDC that generated 1,000-meter grayish co-PDC ash clouds around 6:51 a.m.

Mayon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3, which indicates intensified unrest or magmatic unrest.

READ: Meaning of PHIVOLCS alert levels per active volcano

According to PhiVolcs, the current volcanic activity being shown by Mayon was comparable to its activities during its 2023 eruption.

“Sa ngayon, ine-emphasize na natin na ang likely scenario ay tulad nung 2023, mayroon tsansa na medyo mas malakas nang kaunti. Siguro yung isang scenario na hindi natin na-emphasize, pwede rin tumigil ‘yung eruption anytime,” said PHIVOLCS Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division chief Antonia Bornas.

(For now, we are emphasizing that the likely scenario is similar to what happened in 2023, with a chance that it could be slightly stronger. One scenario that we perhaps haven't emphasized enough is that the unrest could also stop at any time.)

“If this will follow the 2023 template, this will take five to six months,” added PhiVolcs director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol.

As of Wednesday, at least 2,800 individuals have been evacuated from their homes due to Mayon’s volcanic activity. —VAL, GMA Integrated News