Philippines Volcano Puts On Spectacular Show

Just saw this on msn.com.au and thought I'd share.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/52f6aae68eb7.png[/atsimg]

The Philippines' most active volcano is threatening to erupt after oozing lava for the first time in years. The 2460m Mayon volcano, located above Legazpi city about 340km southeast of Manila, has been rocked by dozens of volcanic earthquakes.

Thousands of villagers have been evacuated as authorities raised the alert level to two steps below eruption. The mountain last exploded in 2006, which was closely followed by a typhoon and mudslide in the region that killed over 1000 people.

50,000 villagers live in an 8km radius of the volcano, right before Christmas too, let's hope it doesn't errupt!

More on the story HERE and more pictures HERE.

OK,
Now I am a bit worried about our recent quake in NZ - we are on an earthquake line in the Pacific rim.

Wow, imagine waking up to see that oozing out of the mountain above you! Great picture, it's sad though that all those people are having to uproot everything just in time for christmas, but then again, that's what happens when you live near an active Volcano i guess. It's going to be interesting to see what happens, s&f!

Here's the direct link to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph...

The latest update is:

Incandescent lava fragments were seen continuously detaching from the crater of Mayon Volcano (13.2576 N, 123.6856 E), which come to rest on the upper and middle slopes, about 3 kilometers from the summit. These events were detected by the seismic network as high frequency volcanic tremor with maximum trace amplitude of 10 millimeters. During the preceding 24 hours, the seismographs recorded eighty-three (83) volcanic earthquakes. Sulfur dioxide emission rate using FLYSPEC increased from the previous 535 tonnes per day (t/d) to about 757 t/d measured yesterday morning.

More at the link, and you can follow their monitoring of the situation as this unfolds. The threat level is now at 3, meaning:

Increased Tendency Towards Eruption

Relatively High Unrest

Volcanic quakes and tremor may become more frequent.
Further increase in SO2 flux.
Occurrence of rockfalls in summit area.
Vigorous steaming / sustained crater glow.
Persistent swelling of edifice.

Magma is close to the crater.
If trend is one of increasing unrest, eruption is possible within weeks.

Level 5 is a full blown eruption.
At this point more people are being ordered to evacuate the immediate area of danger.

reply to post by anxietydisorder


Great info!

Thanks for posting it up.

One more item to add on this:

The United States Embassy in Manila has just issued a travel warning to all US citizens in the area or planning travel to the region.

manila.usembassy.gov...

They have begun the evacuation of 50,000 people, the Volcano is at a level 3 and expected to produce a major eruption.

Source

Vulcanologists said the alert level around Mayon had been raised to number 3, indicating volcanic materials were now near the top of the crater. Level 4 means an eruption is imminent while Level 5 means an eruption is already in progress.

I think this volcano is what you always expect a Volcano to look like, it's a perfect Volcano shape, and Beautiful, I'm glad they are acting instead of waiting to evacuate the people, better safe than sorry.

I hope everyone gets out of the way in time.

Originally posted by azzllin

I think this volcano is what you always expect a Volcano to look like, it's a perfect Volcano shape, and Beautiful

You're so right.
The beauty of nature's fury is an amazing thing to watch.

I look at the destruction caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and the awe of a volcano. I actually appreciate the power that nature can unleash upon the planet, and even look forward to the next event.

Sadly, these events cause the loss of life to our species and many others.
But that's nature for ya, it happens.
Try to live with it.

Let's hope it doesn't errupt , else people down might become refugees

The volcano has now at alert level 4:

This is to notify the public that PHIVOLCS-DOST is now raising the alert status of Mayon Volcano (13.2576 N, 123.6856 E) from ALERT LEVEL 3 to ALERT LEVEL 4. This means that a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within days, thus, areas expected to be affected by such eruption will be accordingly extended.

www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph...

This looks like it's gonna blow.

My brother's family has left the area and moved north to spend time with family in Maconacon. My nephews won't be visiting the grandparents this Christmas.
This puts all my family out of the danger zone thankfully, but my thoughts are with those that evacuation isn't an option, and for those that could lose so much land and livestock when it explodes.

I hope this is a slow ooze and not a sudden blast. They've been hit a lot this year with storms and political problems.
They don't need this now.:shk:

Wow, thats an awesome photo.

I would'nt fancy living there at the moment that's for sure!!

Cheers for posting.

[edit on 20-12-2009 by grantbeed]

A volcano has no feeling, it just is.
Christmas is a human designation for a date on a human created calendar.

Natural disasters can happen anywhere.
Sorry to see you go, but so long, and thanks for all the fish.

The answer is "42"..........