Legazpi City — Mayon remains relatively quiet as of 10 am today, February 5, Mayon Volcano Observatory (MVO) resident volcanologist Paul Karson Alanis stated in an interview with Bicoldotph.
Alanis furthered that since yesterday’s phreatic eruption, which led to a 1200-meter-high ash ejection, they haven’t recorded any more volcanic activity from that of Mayon.
“As for the supposed ashfall threats, so far, ang nagreport pa lang naman na may bumagsak na masasabi nating abo, pero napakanipis nito parang alikabok lang, ay yung bayan ng Camalig,” Alanis added, also emphasizing that the reported ashfall poses little to no threat to the residents.
A phreatic eruption occurs when cold water infiltrates a volcano’s heated interior, undergoing rapid vaporization, leading to the formation of steam. As the steam accumulates beneath the surface, mounting pressure culminates in an explosive release, triggering an eruption.
“So far, sa science of volcanology, wala pa rin tayong sagot sa kung kailan talaga nangyayari ang water and hot body interaction, as well as kung kailan magtitrigger ng phreatic eruption—it is something na hindi napepredict talaga,” Alanis uttered.
Alanis recalled that Mayon had a major eruption last year, suggesting presence of searing magma awaiting contact with water. This serves as a cautionary signal, indicating the likelihood of more phreatic eruptions from Mayon in the next few months. I Kian Kirby Florano