Mount Mayon the Philippines' most active volcano finally explodes thunderously: Explosion sent superheated lava, molten rocks and steam into the sky
RSOE Alertmap The Philippines' most active volcano exploded thunderously Monday, sending a huge gray
column of lava fragments, ash and steam into the sky and prompting authorities to warn that a violent eruption may be imminent. The noontime explosion sent superheated lava, molten rocks and steam cascading down Mount Mayon's slopes and shrouded nearby villages in darkness, said Renato Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology and other officials. Authorities raised the alert level to four on a scale of five, which means an explosive eruption is possible within hours or days. A danger zone around Mayon was expanded to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater. "If the eruption is vertical, it's possible pyroclastic flows or pyroclastic density currents may cascade down in all directions," Solidum told a news conference, warning villagers and tourists not to venture into the no-go zones and airplanes to stay safely away from the crater and ash-laden winds. More than 35,000 villagers have fled since Mayon started acting up more than a week ago. Mayon is in coconut-growing Albay province, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) southeast of Manila. With its near-perfect cone, it is popular with climbers and tourists but has erupted about 50 times in the last 500 years, sometimes violently. In 2013, an ash eruption killed five climbers who had ventured near the summit despite warnings. Mayon's first recorded eruption was in 1616 and the most destructive, in 1814, killed 1,200 people and buried the town of Cagsawa in volcanic mud. The Philippines lies in the so-called "Ring of Fire," a line of seismic faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. In 1991, Mount Pinatubo in the northern Philippines exploded in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing about 800 people.
The Rabaul Volcanological Observatory Papua New Guinea claim activity on Kadovar island volcano remains "dynamic" white steam plume rising
Earthwindmap showing Sulfur Dioxide Mass from the volcano The tiny island off the north coast of PNG's mainland erupted earlier this month. Over 600 residents were promptly evacuated from the island whose vegetation has been covered in ash. The Rabaul Volcanological Observatory said activity on Kadovar remains "dynamic" and that a continuous white steam plume is rising from its southeast vent up to 800 meters above the island. It said there were several "moderate" explosions from Kadovar at the weekend, and that the volcano's ash clouds had drifted hundreds of kilometers southwards. According to the Observatory, Kadovar's southeast coastal vent, which was significantly breached this month, glows red with lava at night. It said that due to the steepness of the volcano, and the lava dome formed on it, Kadovar's southern flank may collapse seaward. "The region to the south records a debris avalanche," said the Observatory in its latest situation report, warning that more landslides were possible. Both the national government and the East Sepik provincial government have advised local communities that there was a small risk a tsunami from Kadovar's volcanic activity. The Observatory explained that Kadovar's continuing sulfur dioxide emissions, clusters of high-frequency earthquakes, and the ongoing eruptive activity indicate that the situation is dynamic. "It is still possible, however, that any new magma may stall before it reaches the surface."