Mayon Volcano — live updates, alert level

REAWAKENING Around 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, rocks are seen falling down the slopes of Mayon Volcano from the crater summit, in this shot taken at Barangay Busay in Daraga town, Albay province. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has raised the alert level and nearby villagers have been told to flee to safety. Mayon last erupted in January 2018. —MARK ALVIC ESPLANA

These are the latest updates on the status of Mayon Volcano in Albay. Refresh this page for updates.

Mayon eruption looms; locals told to leave

June 9, 2023 – 11:46 AM

Phivolcs on Thursday, June 8, warned that a “hazardous eruption” of Mayon Volcano could be weeks or days away, prompting the local government of Albay to order the mandatory evacuation of residents inside the 6-kilometer radius permanent danger zone.

Phivolcs said it observed three fast-moving avalanches of volcanic ash, rock, and gases, known as pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), on Mayon’s slopes on Thursday.

LOOK: Families in Daraga, Albay start to evacuate

June 9, 2023  – 11:12 AM

WATCH: Capturing nature’s epic encounter

June 8, 2023 – 9:36 PM

WATCH: Legazpi City now dusted with ash from Mayon

June 8, 2023 – 8:17 PM

LOOK: Mayon volcano cloaked in smoke

June 8, 2023 – 7:02 PM

WATCH: Netizen captures moment when Mayon spewed white smoke

LOOK: Mayon Volcano emits smoke

Albay orders mandatory evacuation of residents in Mayon Volcano’s ‘danger zone’

June 8, 2023 – 3:15 PM

The local government of Albay has ordered the mandatory evacuation of residents inside the six-kilometer permanent danger zone on Thursday, June 8, after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised alert level 3 on Mayon Volcano.

Eugene Escobar, chief of research division of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, said during the emergency meeting at the capitol in this city that alert level 3 meant the mandatory evacuation of all farmers and prohibition of human activities inside the danger zone.

LOOK: Mayon Volcano as seen from Sto. Domingo, Albay

June 8, 2023 – 2:41 PM

Mayon: Alert Level 3 up as rockfalls increase; ‘explosive activity’ seen in weeks- Phivolcs

June 8, 2023 – 12:36 PM

Phivolcs put Mayon Volcano on Alert Level 3 on Thursday, June 8, due to “potential explosive activity happening within days or weeks.”

Phivolcs, in a bulletin, said that the “volume of discrete rockfall events increased on 3 June based on the seismic record, signaling an increase in the rate of dome growth.”

Phivolcs reported three pyroclastic density current (PDC) events on Bonga and Basud Gullies at 6:18 a.m., 9:53 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

The PDCs lasted 4-5 minutes and occurred within a kilometer of the summit crater. On the other hand, SO2 (sulfur dioxide) emissions remained at baseline levels.

The agency warned that Mayon is exhibiting magmatic eruption, a potential explosive activity within weeks or days.

‘Increasing unrest’ in Mayon, Taal; residents relocated

June 6, 2023 – 5:30 AM

Farmers near Mayon Volcano in Albay province and residents around Taal Volcano in Batangas province were advised to keep out of the danger zones of these two active volcanoes following their “increasing unrest” since Sunday, June 4, 2023.

In a bulletin on Monday, June 5, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the warning signal over Mayon to alert level 2, indicating the possibility of phreatic, or steam-driven, eruptions or hazardous magmatic eruptions.

Phivolcs raises Mayon volcano status to Alert Level 2

June 05, 2023 – 06:43 PM

State volcanologists on Monday, June 5, raised alert level 2 over Mayon volcano due to increasing unrest.

Phivolcs said alert 2 means, “there is current unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes that could eventually lead to phreatic eruptions or even precede hazardous magmatic eruption.”

The agency said alert level 2 means there is an increased risk of sudden explosions, rockfall and landslides due to the latest developments in the volcano.

Mayon Volcano update: No volcanic quakes logged for 24 hours, says Phivolcs

State volcanologists on Monday, June 19, 2023, said no volcanic earthquakes occurred in Mayon Volcano from 5:00 a.m. on June 18 to 5:00 a.m. on June 19.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said this was an improvement from the previous period when it recorded three volcanic tremors in Mayon. It also said Monday that it logged 265 rockfall events and 889 tonnes of sulfur dioxide flux in the volcano during the 24-hour observation period.

/bmjo