PHIVOLCS: Fewer volcanic quakes recorded but still too early to say Mayon has calmed down

Activities in Mayon Volcano have declined in the past 24 hours, with one volcanic earthquake and 221 rockfall events registered, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said Tuesday.

PHIVOLCS director Teresito Bacolcol said that the single low frequency volcanic quake recorded from June 12 to June 13 was a decrease from the 21 volcanic quakes recorded from June 11 to June 12.

Mayon Volcano’s rockfall events, meanwhile, also went down from the previous 260 to 221.

Only one pyroclastic density current event was also recently logged, as compared to the previous three.

Despite these developments, Bacolcol stressed that it does not signify that the Mayon Volcano has already calmed down.

“Hindi naman [no]. Bumaba lang ‘yung mga parameters natin pero [the parameters only declined but] it’s still too early to say. That’s the reason why we have to look at this on a day-to-day basis,” Bacolcol said in an Unang Balita interview.

“It’s an effusive eruption—malumanay na pag-agos ng lava doon sa paanan ng bulkan o sa flanks ng volcano [a mild flow of lava at the foot or on the flanks of the volcano],” he added.

As of 5 a.m. on Tuesday, a fair crater glow on Mayon Volcano was still visible to the naked eye while its edifice was inflated.

It also emitted moderate amounts of plume, drifting northeast. It generated 723 tonnes of sulfur dioxide on Monday.

PHIVOLCS continued reminding the public that entry into the six-kilometer radius of Mayon Volcano’s Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) is not allowed.

On Monday, the provincial government of Albay extended the danger zone around Mayon Volcano to seven kilometers due to its "increasing unrest."

Flying any aircraft close to the active volcano in Albay is likewise prohibited.

Hazards such as rockfalls, landslides, avalanches, ballistic fragments, lava flows and lava fountaining, pyroclastic density currents, moderate-sized explosions, and lahars during heavy and prolonged rainfall may also occur.

Currently, Mayon Volcano is under Alert Level 3 due to its “intensified unrest” or magmatic unrest. It had had a lava flow activity on Sunday night, emplacing at least 500 meters from the summit crater along the Bonga and Miisi Gullies.

More than 14,000 residents have already been evacuated as of June 12 amid the continued unrest of Mayon Volcano, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). —Giselle Ombay/ VAL, GMA Integrated News