Geology Makes the Mayon Volcano Visually Spectacular—And Dangerously Explosive
What’s going on inside one of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes?
By Maya Wei-Haas
smithsonian.com
January 19, 2018
Last weekend, the Philippines’ most active—and attractive—volcano, Mount Mayon, roared back to life. The 8,070-foot volcano began releasing spurts of incandescent molten rock and spewing clouds of smoke and ash into the sky, causing over 30,000 local residents to evacuate the region. By the morning of January 18, the gooey streams of lava had traveled almost two miles from the summit.
Though the images of Mount Mayon are startling, the volcano isn’t truly explosive—yet. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVolcs), which monitors the numerous volcanoes of the island chain, has set the current warning level at a 3 out of 5, which means that there is â€relatively high unrest.†At this point, explosive eruption is not imminent, says Janine Krippner, a volcanologist and postdoctoral researcher researcher at Concord University. If the trend continues, however, an eruption is possible in the next few weeks.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-geology-makes-mayon-volcano-beautiful-and-dangerous-180967897/
