Phivolcs: Mayon quiet, but...

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – After displaying abnormal behavior in the past days, Mayon volcano is in a lull, as it did not show any significant pre-eruption activities yesterday.

But Ed Laguerta, chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in Bicol, said they will continue monitoring the changes in its abnormal parameters.

“Like in previous eruptions of Mayon, lull in between episodes was always observed. That explains why it takes months before an alert level is either upgraded or downgraded,” Laguerta told The STAR.

In its latest bulletin, Phivolcs did not detect any volcanic earthquake during the past 24-hour period.

Laguerta said an intensity 1 crater glow was observed, while sulfur dioxide emission was measured at 131 tons a day. The volcano’s slope remains inflated as of yesterday.

Venturing within the six-kilometer radius permanent danger zone (PDZ) around Mayon is prohibited after Phivolcs raised the alert status from zero (normal) to 1 late Friday afternoon, three weeks after the phreatic explosion that killed four European tourists and a Filipino guide.