Mayon Might Be About to Blow, and Here's What It Looks Like
In case you missed it, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) raised Alert level 3 on Mt. Mayon last Sunday, 14 January. Over the weekend, observers recorded ash plumes emanating from the crater, followed by a bright glow from flowing lava. Earlier today, a lava dome collapsed twice.
Hundreds of residents living near the volcano have been evacuated, as the alert level means that there is an eruption "possible within weeks, or even days," reads the announcement on the Philvolcs website.
This morning, the agency also posted photos from its observatory on Lignon Hill of the smoking crater on its Facebook account.
Mayon, always a majestic sight, had Instagrammers posting photos of the dramatic plume (and, later, the ominous glow) over the weekend—some noting that they took the photos before they learned of the Alert Level 3 being raised over the area. Today, more people were posting about the clouds of ash pouring out from the volcano.
This is a reminder that Mayon, for all its symmetry and beauty, is the country's most active volcano, and has 47 recorded eruptions since 1616. Let's hope our countrymen in Albay continue to remain safe.
