The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Tuesday, January 6, raised Mayon Volcano’s alert status to Alert Level 3 following a surge in rockfall events at its summit, signaling heightened volcanic unrest.
Since January 1, Mayon has recorded 349 rockfall events and four volcanic earthquakes, indicating instability at the summit lava dome. PHIVOLCS cautioned that an eruption could occur within days or weeks.
“This means that Mayon is exhibiting magmatic eruption of a summit lava dome, with increased chances of lava flows and hazardous PDCs (pyroclastic density current) or uson affecting the upper to middle slopes of the volcano and of potential explosive activity within days or weeks,” the agency said.
Authorities strongly advised the evacuation of residents within the Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) to avoid exposure to lava flows, rockfalls, and other hazards.
PHIVOLCS also issued an advisory to aviation authorities: “Civil aviation authorities must also advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft. Based on the current prevailing wind pattern, ash fall events may most likely occur on the south side of the volcano.”
Local government units and disaster response agencies have been urged to remain on heightened alert as monitoring continues.