VIDEO: Philippines Mayon Volcano Explodes, Violent Eruption Imminent

Philippines Mayon Volcano Explodes, Violent Eruption Imminent

By Jeanna Bryner, Live Science Managing Editor | January 22, 2018

Explosions shook the Mayon volcano, while fountains of lava spewed from its summit today (Jan. 22), causing the Philippines government to raise the hazard level from 3 to 4, indicating a violent eruption is imminent.

Lava cascades down the slopes of Mayon volcano on Jan. 15./VOA News

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"Because of this, the Danger Zone is extended to 8 kilometers [5 miles] radius from the summit vent. The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and desist from entering this danger zone," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said in a statement. "Civil aviation authorities must also advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano's summit as ash from eruptions can be hazardous to aircraft."

The ground around the summit has also been shaking, PHIVOLCS said. [5 Colossal Cones: Biggest Volcanoes on Earth]

Renato Solidum of PHIVOLCS and other officials said that the explosion, which occurred around Noon local time, "sent superheated lava, molten rocks and steam cascading down Mount Mayon's slopes and shrouded nearby villages in darkness," the Guardian reported.

Daily Express

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More than 27,000 residents in this village in Albay Province have fled since Mayon began erupting a few weeks ago, according to the Guardian report. Just last week, an eruption sent red-hot lava from the volcano's mouth, so much that it gave the mountain a face-lift of sorts — The lava repaired damage to the southern side of the volcano from previous eruptions, restoring its iconic cone shape.

The Mayon volcano, rises some 8,077 feet (2,462 meters) above the Albay Gulf, is the Philippines most active volcano, according to the U.S. Geological Society (USGS). Its steep upper slopes make it a popular, albeit dangerous, climbing spot.

In 2013, with no warning, the volcano burst to life in a so-called phreatic explosion, due to water seeping into the volcano's magma chamber and blasting out as steam. The explosion killed five climbers and injured seven. After several climbing fatalities on Mayon in the 1990s, the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior crafted safety guidelines for individuals on active volcanoes, Live Science previously reported.

Pyroclastic flows and mudflows have commonly swept down many of the approximately 40 ravines that radiate from the summit and have often devastated populated lowland areas. Mayon's most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1200 people and devastated several towns.

Pyroclastic flows, or fast-moving surges of lava and other molten material, have commonly raced down Mayon's flanks from its summit, often devastating populations below, according to the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program. Its most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1,200 people.

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