Mayon Volcano
Mayon Volcano is considered to be the most active and the most dangerous volcano in the Philippines. This volcano is located in the province of Albay in the Bicol Region, Luzon. Mayon Volcano is 2,642 meters in height and it is about the height of three Burj Khalifas in Dubai. This majestic volcano is popular for its fascinating shape that is a "Perfect Cone Structure" that lures many tourists around the world. This volcano has been declared as Natural Park in 1938 and renamed as Mayon Volcano Natural Park in the year 2000. The name of Mayon Volcano was acquired from the bicol word "Magayon" which means beautiful.
Danger
Despite of Mayon Volcano's perfect cone structure and beauty, this volcano erupts at the average of 3 to 5 years and the volcano's ashes affects the province of Albay once it erupts. The falling ashes and debris affect the lives and the crops of the residents living near the volcano. Mayon's perfect shape was acquired through the years by the layering of the lava that stacked up in the surface through eruptions and erosions.
Cagsawa Ruins
In the town of Cagsawa, there was once a church that has been covered by the lava on the eruption of Mayon Volcano in the year 1814. When you get there, the only thing that you can see is its bell tower now known as Cagsawa Ruins. It is the only thing that survived from the tragedy that happened years ago.
Eruptions
Mayon Volcano erupted more than 51 times in the past 400 years. The first eruption that has been ever recorded was on 1616.
The following are the recorded eruption of Mayon Volcano in the past years.
• February 1841
Perhaps the most destructive eruption of Mayon Volcano in the history. In February 1841, the Mayon Volcano erupted. Its dark ashes across the sky together with tephra covered the town of Cagsawa. Trees were burned down, eliminated and buried. More than 1200 people died and 2200 families perished in the said disaster.• July 6, 1881 - August 1882
Mayon Volcano erupted from July 6,1881 to August 1882 and this eruption has been observed by the naturalist Samuel Kneeland. He stated that the volcano erupted for five months from the day that he visited. Mayon Volcano's eruption poured out a massive amount of lava from its crater and turned the part of Mayon from a glowing lava to a sparkling rills along the crevices. It shined like a star and more than half of the volcano was illuminated.• June 23, 1897
In June 23, 1897, Mayon Volcano had the longest uninterrupted eruption which lasted for seven days of nonstop rain of ashes and fire. The lava flowed down to the village of Bacacay which was about seven miles from the volcano. Bacacay has been buried in a 15 meter thick lava. Casualties were drawn too in its nearby municipality of Sto. Domingo which has recorded more than 100 people who were killed by the falling debris and hot rocks. Mayon's eruption in 1987 carried a massive black clouds that took over in the other towns of Albay which killed more than 400 people.• September 23, 1984
More than 73,000 people were evacuated as the Mayon Volcano erupts in the year 1984. Luckily, there were no casualties recorded in the said disaster.• July 14, 2006
The Mayon Volcano erupted in 2006 which has been the Mayon's 48th eruption that has been ever recorded in the modern times. More than 40,000 people were evacuated as the danger starts when the Mayon Volcano quietly poured out lava that started on July 14, 2006• September 1, 2006
The Mayon Volcano was in warning condition due to its abnormal activity that was observed. The crater's glow diminished as the Alert Level 4 was lowered into Alert Level 3 on September 11, 2006, Alert Level 2 on October 3, 2006 and Alert Level 1 on October 25, 2006.• August 10, 2008
A small eruption was recorded in August 10, 2018 as the Mayon Volcano ejected 200 meters of ash above the volcano's crater. Weeks before the eruption, PHILVOLCS observed the glow of Mt. Mayon as they have recorded volcanic earthquakes which is a sign of possible eruption.• July 10, 2009
Alert Level 2 was raised on July 10, 2009 due to the number of recorded volcanic earthquakes in Mayon.• October 28, 2009
13 volcanic earthquakes were recorded and the status remains on level 2. Mayon Volcano erupted creating a 600 meter brown ashes that rose above Mayon's crater. PHILVOLCS have warned the residents of Albay to be careful because of the approaching tropical storm that was Internationally named as Mirinae. The combination of storm and lava flows could harm the people who were living around the area and they advised that extra precautions should be taken.• November 11, 2009
A three minute ash explosion was observed in the crater of Mayon Volcano. Rumbling sounds and volcanic earthquakes were recorded. The ash column was not seen due to the presence of clouds in the said eruption. It was later concluded that the ashes fell on the southwest part of Mayon Volcano. Alert Level 2 was still raised to serve as warning to the possible magmatic eruption that might happen.• December 14, 2009
The Mayon Volcano was raised in Alert Level 3 because of its abnormal activity that happened in the past 24 hours. 83 volcanic earthquakes were recorded as the sulfur dioxide emission increases.• December 15, 2009
In December 15, 2009, a quiet eruption resulted into a 500 meter lava flow from the volcano. More than 50,000 people from the danger zone were evacuated to the evacuation centers that was provided by the provincial government of Albay.• December 17, 2009
Another five ash ejections happened and the lava reached 1500 meters below the perfect structure of Mayon Volcano. Large piles and debris kept falling and reaches the distance of 3 - 4 kilometers on the base of Mayon. More than 33,800 families were evacuated according to the former Albay Governor Joey Salceda.• December 20, 2009
Mayon Volcano reaches the highest Alert Level, Alert Level 4. The volcano's sulfur dioxide emission increased to 750 tons per day. Rumbling sounds and volcanic earthquakes were observed in the area. More than 9000 families were evacuated and the government of Albay never permitted anyone to enter the 8 kilometer danger zone which has been monitored by the Philippine Army. Residents of the said province held their Christmas and New year in the evacuation centers. The volcano kept on ejecting rocks and debris even if it is Christmas. PHILVOLCS reduced the alert level from 4 to 3 in January 2, 2010. This is due to the increased volcanic activity that was observed in the area. PHILVOLCS lowered the alert level from 3 to 2 on January 13, 2010 because of the diminished hazardous activities of the Mayon Volcano.• May 7, 2013
The Mayon Volcano broke her silence as she produced a phreatic eruption on May 7, 2013. It only lasted for 73 seconds but it produced a massive amount of ash clouds that reached 500 meters above the volcano's crater.The ash cloud is composed of rocks and debris drifted southwest from the Mayon Volcano. A group of tourists and their tour guide were reportedly trapped in the volcano as they were hiking when Mayon erupted. They were soon located but because of the slippery terrain, their bodies, the transmission of their bodies became slower than the normal. They are transported from Camp 2 to Camp 1 located at the base of the volcano.The volcano's eruption on May 2013 didn't affect Mayon's alert level because there were no abnormal activities and volcanic earthquake were observed.
• August 12, 2014
A 30-50 meter high lava was observed in the crater of Mayon Volcano. This increased the height structure of Mayon and increased sulfur dioxide emission.• September 18, 2014
142 volcanic earthquakes were recorded and 251 rockfall events were observed by the PHILVOLCS which drifted to southeastern part of the volcano. Mayon erupted 757 tonnes of lava after a peak of 2360 tonnes on September 6, 2006.• January 13, 2018
A phreatic explosion of Mayon Volcano took over the clouds of Albay producing a 2500 meter ash clouds that lasted for 1 hour and 47 minutes on January 13, 2018 at 4:21 pm. Ashes fell in the barangays of Anoling, Daraga, Sua, Quirangay, Tumpa, Ilawod, Camalig, and Guinobatan. Rumbling sounds were heard and rockfall events were recorded. PHILVOLCS raised the alert level from Alert Level 1 to Alert Level 3 on January 14, 2018 after 3 phreatic explosions that happened. 158 rockfall events were recorded and the crater of the Mayon Volcano produced a lava dome as the lava flows toward its slopes.Mayon Volcano is perhaps the most perfect yet the most dangerous volcano in the Philippines. The eruptions of this volcano is the way of the nature to communicate to the people that the nature works in balance. Nature can be beautiful but dangerous at the same time. We must understand this as we are living in a nature that has been unpredictable.
images: Wikimedia Commons
Source : Wikipedia
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