MANILA — Mayon Volcano produced fewer volcanic tremors and rockfalls on Thursday, according to state volcanologists.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) logged two volcanic tremors and 306 rockfall events from 5 a.m. on Wednesday to 5:00 a.m. on Thursday.
In the previous update, the volcano recorded seven volcanic temblors and 309 rockfall events.
On the other hand, the volcano recorded a slight increase in terms of sulfur dioxide flux to 193 tons per day from 149 tons a day.
The volcano monitor classified Mayon Volcano under Alert Level 3 since last Thursday (June 8) due to “potential explosive activity happening within days or weeks.”
According to state seismologists, the unrest in Mayon Volcano could last for a few months based on their observations.
Dr. Teresito Bacolcol, director of Phivolcs, drew parallels between the latest activities and that of Mayon in 2018 and 2014.
“Based on our experience, this activity may persist [for] a few months,” Bacolcol said in a Teleradyo interview.
“When the eruption is violent, this would probably take a few days to weeks, but when it is slow like this, it would probably take several months,” he added, partly in Filipino.
Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief science research specialist of Phivolcs, told INQ Today that the activity would last for months when the volcano quietly effuses lava.
“Mayon is quietly effusing lava flow from its summit craters and the lava flows are being transported to the south and southeast sector of the volcano,” Bornas said.
“There have been past eruptions similar to this where the volcano is quietly effusing lava and this activity lasted for months,” she added. “We might get that activity.”
Bornas said that the lava flows have reached a distance of one kilometer away from the crater. (John Eric Mendoza © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
