PHIVOLCS: Mayon’s ‘moderately-sized’ activity, nothing like 1814’s eruption
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology
and Seismology is not seeing any indicators that the restive Mayon
Volcano will soon erupt as destructively as it did in 1814, when it
killed over 1,200 people in a violent one-day period.
Instead, scientists at the PHIVOLCS are considering a more “moderate” scenario, said PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum, Jr.
“We are looking at moderate[ly]-sized
activities as scenarios, not the worst case like 1814,” he told GMA News
Online in a text message.
“We will closely monitor if there will be changes in the parameters manifested by the volcano,” he also said.
Since records started in 1616, the Mayon
Volcano has erupted more than 50 times, making it one of the 24 active
Philippine volcanoes.
Its most destructive explosion recorded so far occurred on the first day of February, 1814,
when a Plinian eruption marked with pyroclastic flows, “volcanic
lightning,” and lahar damaged the areas of Camalig, Cagsaua, Budiao,
Guinobatan, and half of Albay.
PHIVOLCS records show
the 1814 eruption killed 1,200 people. The next deadliest Mayon
eruption was a 17-hour violent phase in 1897, which killed 350 people
“most likely due to pyroclastic flows.”
As of Tuesday morning, Alert Level 3
remains up over the volcano as state volcanologists continue to warn of a
possible hazardous eruption “within weeks or days.”
In the last 24 hours, the volcano’s
seismic network has recorded 75 lava collapse events and a formation of a
new lava dome at the volcano’s crater, as well as nine tremors, four of
which were accompanied by "lava fountaining."
Albay’s Monday night was lit with Mayon’s fiery red-orange crater glow due to lava flow that continued until Tuesday.
At least 5,000 families have been
evacuated to safety due to the volcano’s recent unrest, but some still
return to the six-kilometer permanent danger zone to check on crops and
livestock.
The Albay government has placed the province under a state of calamity for access to calamity funds. — MDM, GMA News
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