Philippines: Volcanic earthquake, new lava dome detected at Mayon; eruption may be coming

Increasing unrest at the Philippines' Mayon Volcano is indicating that a violent eruption of one of the country's most active volcanoes may be coming within weeks or days.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Saturday released a photo showing a new lava dome at the volcano's summit.

"A new summit lava dome in the Mayon Volcano crater emerges as its pre-existing one has been pushed out in increments that formed rockfall in the first week of June 2023," the agency said in a Facebook post.

Over the last 24 hours, one volcano earthquake and 59 rockfall events were detected, it added.

Here's the photo of the new lava dome:

A crater glow was also seen with the naked eye on Friday night.

The authorities have placed Mayon on alert level 3, which means 'intensified unrest / magmatic unrest' is being detected.

Philippine troops, police and rescue workers began forcibly evacuating residents who live within the danger zone.

The area within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of Mayon's crater is supposed to be off-limits due to possible volcanic emissions, lava flows, rockfalls and other hazards. But many poor villagers have built houses and tended farms in Mayon's danger zone over the years.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said an evacuation of residents from the permanent danger zone was under way and promised to provide aid to the displaced until the crisis ended.

“Right now, what we are doing is preparing and moving people away from the area so that, should the time come, I hope it doesn’t happen…we’re ready,” Marcos told reporters. “But unfortunately science tells us that may happen because the lid or the cap on top of the lava is slowly rising.”

Authorities had raised the alert level for the volcano in northeastern Albay province Thursday after superheated streams of gas, debris and rocks cascaded down its upper slope, indicating activity below the surface that could precede a hazardous eruption.

Conditions have advanced a little bit more Friday, although lava hasn’t started to flow, Marcos said.

The numbers of residents being evacuated weren't immediately available.

A tourist draw for its picturesque conical shape, 2,462-meter (8,077-feet) Mayon last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers.

Government volcano experts raised the alert level around Mayon to the third of a five-step warning system Thursday after detecting an increasing number of rockfalls and at least two volcanic earthquakes in recent days.

Six brief volcanic gas and ash emissions streamed down the volcano’s southern gullies about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the crater Friday. Numerous rockfalls and thin ash and steam plumes that drifted south were also observed, the government volcanology institute said.

Mayon is at “a relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days,” the institute said in its latest update Friday morning.

Mayon is one of the most restive of two dozen active volcanoes across the Philippines.

Officials also were closely monitoring Taal Volcano south of Manila and Mount Kanlaon on central Negros island due to renewed signs of restiveness.

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