By Ellalyn V. Ruiz
Mayon Volcano spewed incandescent lava fountains and ash plumes as it continues to exhibit increased activity in the past 24 hours.
Between 7:34 a.m. Wednesday and 4:06 a.m. Thursday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded 80 discrete seismic events associated with obscured lava fountaining that lasted two to 49 minutes and were accompanied by rumbling and chugging sounds audible beyond 10 kilometers of the volcano summit.
Incandescent lava fountains up to 100 to 600 meters generated dirty white to gray ash plumes that rose 100 to 800 meters from the summit before drifting west-southwest to southwest.
Phivolcs added that seven episodes of lava-collapse pyroclastic density current or pyroclastic flows were visually observed between 1:44 p.m. and 3:05 p.m. last Wednesday, depositing on Miisi, Basud, and Bonga-Buyuan Gullies within two kilometers of the summit crater.
Lava flows were sustained at 3.3 kilometers, 4.5 kilometers, and 900 meters on the Miisi, Bonga, and Basud Gullies, respectively, Phivolcs noted.