Otherworldly fury of Mount Mayon

[samuelthegreat]

This photo captures the eerie, otherworldly fury of Mount Mayon

As the most active volcano in the Philippines, Mount Mayon has erupted 50 times in the past 500 years

 

 

It may look like a clip from an upcoming sci-fi blockbuster, but this is anything but fantasy.

 

Mount Mayon in the Philippines, in the north-eastern Albany province, has been erupting for nearly two weeks, covering surrounding communities in a blanket of grey ash. Although beautiful, the eruption is violent and is sporadically ejecting lava up to 1.8 miles from its crater.

 

As the most active volcano in the Philippines, Mount Mayon has erupted 50 times in the past 500 years. And this current eruption could carry on for up to a few months. If the eruption continues, it will likely create a logistical nightmare for the local communities, whose livelihoods depend on the surrounding farmland.

 

74,000 people have been evacuated from the eight kilometre danger zone surrounding the volcano so far. Livestock is also being evacuated in the hope of protecting the livelihood of the local population.

 

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, sulphur dioxide gas emissions have been measured at an average of 1,916 tons a day. The institute also reports that continuous GPS measurements show that there has been sustained swelling and inflation under the volcano since October which is "consistent with pressurisation by magmatic intrusion".

 

The Mount Mayon volcano lies in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire region, covering Japan, Indonesia and California. Being home to 90 per cent of the world's volcanos, volcanic activity is common on this 25,000 mile perimeter. But, in the past few weeks, the region has been particularly active with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reductions reporting a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Alaska, and a 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Jakarta, Indonesia. However, so far, Mount Mayon stands as the most dramatic display of the Earth's awesome power.

 

SOURCE

[flash48]

Wow, what a big difference when I visited the volcano in 2015.  It looked much calmer then.  Here is one of my snapshots: