Mayon unrest to persist for weeks — PHIVOLCS

The unrest of Mayon Volcano could last for several more weeks, although several factors must still be considered before raising its alert status to Level 4, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said on Monday.

PHIVOLCS Director Teresito Bacolcol noted that the current activity is similar to Mayon’s unrest in 2023, when it remained under Alert Level 3 for about six months.

“So what we are seeing at Mayon Volcano is basically the same as what we saw during its 2023 eruption. It is also an effusive eruption, similar to what we are observing now,” he said in Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

“And this one lasted for several months—six months before we lowered it. We raised it to Alert Level 3 on June 8, and then in December 2023, we lowered it to Alert Level 2,” Bacolcol added.

Alert Level 3 was raised over Mayon Volcano in Albay on January 6 after pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), or “uson,” were recorded. PHIVOLCS said Alert Level 3 indicates a “high level of volcanic unrest.”

The volcano’s recent activity has also blanketed parts of Albay in ash, prompting government response efforts.

“Sa nakikita natin, ganito rin tatagal yung current activity ng Mayon Volcano. Right now, nasa pang-118 days na tayo, a little more than three months, and we expect this to last for several more weeks,” Bacolcol said.

(Based on what we see, the current activity of Mayon Volcano may last this long as well. We are now on the 118th day—slightly over three months—and we expect this to continue for several more weeks.)

PHIVOLCS said ashfall has been recorded in Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao City, and Daraga.

The agency said several factors must be present before Alert Level 4 can be raised.

"We are monitoring if there will be sustained lava fountaining; stronger or more frequent explosions; an increase in volcanic earthquakes; significant changes in sulfur dioxide emissions; and inflation or changes in the volcano’s slope," he said.

"If these parameters occur simultaneously and are sustained, this could indicate more dangerous activity. If this happens, we may raise the alert level from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 4," the official added.

PHIVOLCS also reported five volcanic earthquakes and ongoing lava effusion on Sunday, including four volcanic tremors lasting one to three minutes each.

From 12 a.m. Sunday to 12 a.m. Monday, the agency recorded a total of 411 rockfall events and four pyroclastic density current (PDC) signals.—MCG, GMA News