Mayon stays normal for a year now

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines — Mayon Volcano in Albay has remained under normal condition for exactly a year on Saturday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Paul Alanis, Phivolcs resident volcanologist at the Lignon Hill Observatory in Legazpi City, said that from Alert Level 1, Mayon was lowered to zero on July 30 last year.

“It was exactly a year now that Mayon Volcano has been in normal condition. We thank God for this. We hope that this quiet status would be extended for another year or more,” Alanis told The STAR on Saturday.

Phivolcs first downgraded the alert level from 2 to 1 on July 17, 2020 as the volcano’s abnormal parameters continued to decrease.

For 365 days, Alanis said Phivolcs instruments installed around Mayon did not detect any seismic event, ground deformation and gas emission that is above the baseline of 500 tons a day as   well as visual observation of any crater glow at the summit crater.

“This means observational parameters have returned to baseline levels and no magmatic eruption is foreseen in the immediate future,” Alanis said.

Still, Phivolcs reminded the public not to enter Mayon’s six-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone due to rockfalls, avalanches and ash puffs as well as sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruption.

“Phreatic eruption occurs without prior warning like what happened to Mayon Volcano nine years ago,” Alanis said.

Four foreign tourists and their Filipino guide died when Mayon spewed rocks as they were climbing the volcano on May 15, 2013.

Mayon’s last major eruption occurred in 2018.