Article by:
Ma. Cristina Arayata
MANILA – There's no need to raise Mayon Volcano's alert status, from Level 3 (intensified unrest/magmatic unrest) to Level 4 (hazardous eruption imminent), for now, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Tuesday.
"As of now, there's no clear indication that we need to raise its alert level. This will only be raised if there's a clear escalation in monitoring parameters," Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol told the Philippine News Agency in a phone interview.
He said ash emission under the current unrest is still normal.
Bacolcol earlier told the PNA that among the indicators being looked at before raising alert status to Level 4 are frequent and bigger pyroclastic density currents (PDCs).
A bigger PDC is thicker, faster, hotter and reaches farther, he said.
Mayon Volcano emitted ash at 1:50 p.m. and generated a grayish to brownish plume reaching 1,000 meters above the crater, according to Phivolcs.
For 24 hours from midnight Monday, the Phivolcs recorded 305 rockfall events, 20 PDCs and four volcanic earthquakes.
Phivolcs also reported lava effusion, with lava flow on the Basud, Bonga and Misi gullies within the past 24 hours. Sulfur dioxide flux was at 3,891 tonnes on Feb. 23.
Under Alert Level 3, entry into the six-kilometer permanent danger zone is strictly prohibited due to risks posed by lava flows, rockfalls, PDCs and other volcanic hazards. (PNA)
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