Mayon Volcano Eruptions: Phreatic Activities Spew Ash Clouds, Alert Issued

Mayon Volcano in Albay province of the Philippines had two phreatic eruptions Monday, forcing an alert level 2 issued in the country, local media reports said. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded the activity.

"This phreatic eruption is at Alert Level 2, but it's still under the volcano and we think we have to go under the bench," Phivolcs officer-in-charge Renato Solidum reportedly said. Alert level 2 means Mayon Volcano "is at a moderate level of unrest."

A phreatic explosion reportedly occurs when water beneath the ground or on the surface is heated by magma, lava, hot rocks, or new volcanic deposits.

According to Solidum, the spewed ash went as high as 1,640 feet and 980 feet during the two eruptions.

Currently, authorities are observing the Mayon Volcano, which is one of the most active volcanoes in the country. The country is a part of the Ring of Fire, a large area in the Pacific Ocean prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

"There has been no estimation of Mayon's activity, but we see that he is swollen," Solidum said, according to local media GMA News, adding residents are safe as long as they are not within the permanent danger zone.

Mayon Volcano has been popular with climbers and tourists but has erupted about more than 50 times in the last 500 years, sometimes violently. Its most destructive eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1,200 people and buried the town of Cagsawa in volcanic mud.

The volcano showed signs of eruption earlier this month. In July, Mount Mayon erupted sending white to light gray ash clouds 1,640 feet up the sky. Due to the restive condition of the volcano, thousands of Filipinos had to evacuate their home.