Vulkaan Mayon op de Filipijnen staat op springen

quote:

Eruption in 3 to 7 days

Manila: More lava flowed out of the crater of a restive volcano in the eastern Philippines Saturday, a sign of intensifying activity, government volcanologists said.

According to reports, farmers have started returning to the foothills of Mayon, the country's most active volcano, despite the increasing flow of lava from the mountain.

The volcano continued to spew out fountains of ash into the sky amid a series of minor eruptions, heightening concerns that a major explosion could occur at any time. Tremors in the volcano also increased due to the enormous pressure of the ever-increasing amount of lava on its slopes.

The increasing tempo and force of volcanic activity as well as the reports farmers are returning to their farmlands has also forced the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to recommend increasing the perimeter of the so-called no man's land around the volcano.

Alert

"Since persistent high unrest is evident at present, the possibility of hazardous volcanic eruption is high. Thus, Phivolcs recommends that the six-kilometre radius Permanent Danger Zone around the volcano and the 7km Extended Danger Zone on the southeast flank of the volcano should be free from human activity because of sudden explosions that may generate hazardous volcanic flows. In addition, areas in the south that are outside the seven kilometre danger zone but within eight kilometres of the crater should be extra alert for increased volcanic activity," a Phivolcs bulletin issued yesterday said.

Renato Solidum, head of Phivolcs said his agency is on alert for a possible hazardous eruption of the Mayon Volcano in Albay province, 360 kilometres south of Manila.

The institute said it recorded 197 earthquakes and 15 ash explosions overnight Saturday.

Phivolcs on Friday said it was considering raising alert level 4 over Albay at any time since the volcano might have a violent eruption within the next three to seven days.

"The important thing is that people should not be in those danger zones when a hazardous explosion happens," Solidum said.

The area in the danger zone at the foothills of Mount Mayon is a fertile area for growing vegetables and rearing livestock and many people from the evacuated villages were reported to be disobeying the government imposed restrictions and are creeping back to look after their crops and animals.

In the meantime, officials said the government is helpless in preventing the farmers from returning to their plots despite the imminent danger of an eruption.

quote:

Philippines: Mayon Volcano Eruption 44,000 + in evacuation centers

Manila- Government scientists are saying that a Volcano on the Philippines Bicol peninsula may erupt within days in a large scale explosion as sulfur emissions per day have been doubling in volume.

The most recent report says Sulfur emissions have reached over 7000 tons per day from the near perfect cone Volcano that looms over some twenty towns and three small and one large city in Albay province.

The blasts from the volcano for over a week have shown an increasing level of power, from over 100 volcanic quakes the level of earthquakes topped 220 in the last 24 hours.

Disaster officails have already evacuated more than 39,000 people from the area who live within 8kilometers of mountains base.

Lava flows and ash buildup on the mountain has already begun to fill small valleys and gullies up to four kilometers away from the crater at the summit of the mountain.

Local officials and National government police and troops are working to make sure as many residents leave the area as possible. In some portions on the lowland plains many residents remember massive mud and lahar flows that burried towns and villages in pryoclastic debris some three years ago.

Any sign of sustain rainfall is a signal for people to go to evacuation areas as the steep mountain slopes can create massive flash floods of lahar and volcanic mudflows which can rage down slopes carrying with them boulders and the wet cement like 'Lahar flows' that can destroy almost any structure in the path of the fast flowing debris.

Mayon Volcano Lava Flows Captured [Albay, Philippines]

quote:

Dorpen bedekt met as

Zeker drie dorpjes in de buurt van de Filipijnse vulkaan Mayon zijn maandag bedekt door as. Vulkanologen denken dat de Mayon binnen enkele dagen of uren kan uitbarsten en voerden het waarschuwingsniveau op van drie naar vier, op een schaal van vijf.

Mayon bedekt dorpen met as, vulkanologen waarschuwen

De vulkaan, een van de meest actieve in het Aziatische land, stoot al dagen lava en as uit. Wetenschappers maten zondag ruim 450 kleine aardbevingen, die worden veroorzaakt door vulkanische activiteit, binnen een tijdsbestek van enkele uren. Dat was meer dan twee keer zoveel als de dag ervoor. Krachtige explosies binnenin de vulkaan zijn hoorbaar op een afstand van 12 kilometer, waar zich een meetstation bevindt.

1.300 gezinnen weigeren te vertrekken
Tienduizenden Filipijnen die rondom de vulkaan wonen in de centrale provincie Albay, hebben hun woningen verlaten en worden opgevangen. Zo'n 1.300 gezinnen weigeren te vertrekken. Ze willen hun boerderijen en vee niet achterlaten.

De Mayon is in de afgelopen vierhonderd jaar ongeveer vijftig keer uitgebarsten. In 1814 begroeven lavastromen een complete stad, waardoor twaalfhonderd mensen het leven verloren. Het huidige patroon van vulkanische activiteit lijkt op dat van 2006, toen de Mayon twee maanden lang lava en as uitstootte. Tot een uitbarsting kwam het toen niet.

De bijna 2.500 meter hoge vulkaan is een populaire toeristische bestemming. De Mayon is bekend om zijn bijna perfecte kegelvorm.

quote:

Op dinsdag 22 december 2009 09:27 schreef harmenst het volgende:
Laat de klimaat-top wat doen tegen die vulkanen dan! Die stoten pas veel co2 uit.

quote:

Manila on high alert for the eruption of volcano Mayon

Ash explodes from the crater covering surrounding villages. Shelters, housing nearly 50 thousand refugees, also at risk. The medical staff sound alarm: dust hazardous to the lungs and skin. The experts wait to raise the alert level to 5, the maximum of the scale.

Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Experts from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) are evaluating the possibility of raising the alert level to 5, the maximum on the scale, for the activity of volcano Mayon. There are continuous eruptions from the crater and ash has covered the villages of the area. A full scale eruption could occur "at any moment."

The volcano Mayon is located in the central region of the country, about 360 kilometres southeast of Manila, it has a maximum height of 2460 meters. For some days now very fine ash has been smoking from the crater covering some nearby villages. Medical staff have warned that the dust could cause "serious respiratory or skin problems." Thousands of people now housed in shelters set up in the area, eight kilometres away from the "evacuation area" are now at risk.

Eyewitnesses reported that the ash has spread up to 10 km away from the crater. Eric Tayag, head of the Government Department for epidemics, has invited residents to remain indoors and avoid exposure to dust.

Manila has so far evacuated 9200 families, for a total of over 44 thousand people from areas considered at risk. Jimmy Sincioco, a spokesman for Phivolcs, said the experts are awaiting further "critical factors" to "raise the alert level to 5", which indicates imminent eruption.

When strong explosions are felt, he adds, and earthquakes in the area of volcano Mayon are felt by the inhabitants of Legazpi in the province of Albay, then it will be "the moment of maximum alert.

quote:

Op dinsdag 22 december 2009 12:15 schreef Adelante het volgende:
Het feit dat er dan geen "nieuw" meer komt mag de pret niet drukken

quote:

Op dinsdag 22 december 2009 14:48 schreef Jumparound het volgende:
van twitter:
[..]

quote:

Mayon stays at critical level
Mayon Volcano continued to shoot ash clouds in to the sky on Thursday as thousands of displaced residents are set to spend their traditional Christmas Eve in evacuation centers.

More than 20 ash explosions were recorded from 5 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Wednesday reported ABS-CBN Legazpi’s Aireen Perol during ABS-CBN News Channel’s Dateline Philippines. She said that the ash explosion which occurred 8:43 a.m. was reported to have reached 1.5 to 2 kilometers high.

Eighty-two low frequency volcanic quakes were also reported to have been recorded in the same period while rumbling sounds continue to be heard.

There were 4 occurrences of lava fountaining Wednesday night, said Perol, with 1 of these reaching 500 meters from the summit. Several explosions with ejected incandescent lava fragments were reportedly noted during night observations.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology (Phivolcs), in its 7 a.m. bulletin Thursday, said the volcano continues to show intense activity 4 days after it raised Alert Level 4.

Phivolcs said that Mayon’s seismic activity, while lesser in number from the past days, remained elevated in number and size as the agency’s seismic monitoring network detected 815 volcanic earthquakes and continuously recorded harmonic tremors on Wednesday. Many of these volcanic earthquakes were reportedly recorded at maximum deflection.

Ash explosions observed during periods of good visibility numbered 20, said Phivolcs.

The volcano’s sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate reportedly remained very high and was measured at an average of 5,737 tons per day on Wednesday. 124 audible booming and rumbling sounds were intermittently heard for the past 24 hours. Red hot lava also continuously flowed down along the Bonga-Buyuan, Miisi and Lidong gullies.

Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum earlier said Mayon's increasing seismic activity could be a sign of a major eruption.

"It has intensified since we hoisted level four, and there have been new explosions," Solidum said. "The tendency of the volcano is that the pressure is getting stronger and stronger and this could lead to a major explosion."

"Mayon remains at a very critical level," he said.

Solidum said however that the agency is not about to raise the alert level warning to its highest at level 5.

“This is actually the highest alert for warning for people to avoid danger zones,” said Solidum on alert level 4.

“But in terms of evacuation of people, the initial evacuation in the extended danger zone would remain the same even if we state alert level 5 or [when] the hazardous eruption is in progress We will observe this in case the hazardous eruption occurs if we will extend the danger zone. But as of now the action plans are the same,” said Solidum.

Phivolcs reiterated that the Extended Danger Zone (EDZ) from the summit of 8-kilometers on the southern sector of the volcano and 7-kilometers on the northern sector should remain free of human activity. The agency had warned that areas just outside of this EDZ should prepare for evacuation in the event hazardous explosive eruptions intensify.

“Sad Christmas”

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported that 9,754 families or 46,639 persons are in 26 evacuation centers.

President Arroyo on Wednesday visited evacuation centers Wednesday after spending a 3-day vacation with her family in Hong Kong.

She met with NDCC officials and also distributed relief goods to evacuees.

Meanwhile, presidential candidates in the 2010 national elections have also visited Mayon evacuees.

On Thursday, Nacionalista Party standard bearer Sen. Manuel Villar II visited 3 evacuation centers in Albay.

Sen. Benigno Aquino III of Liberal Party and former President Joseph Estrada of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino also distributed relief goods on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

Senator Richard J. Gordon, who is also Philippine National Red Cross chair, also reportedly arrived in Legazpi City to oversee PNRC assistance to evacuees as well as to distribute Christmas packages for the displaced residents.

The provincial government of Albay has earlier distributed “Noche Buena” packages to the displaced residents who will be spending their Christmas Eve in the evacuation centers.

On Tuesday night, military and police personnel with Santa hats held a concert for the evacuees to cheer them up during the holiday season. Other children were seen scrambling to line up after being promised free ice cream cones and other Christmas treats if they behaved.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, had earlier declared the area "open season for aid" so charities can go directly to evacuation centers and help spread holiday cheer.

Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year in this deeply religious Southeast Asian country, where more than 80 percent are Roman Catholics.

Daily masses were also being celebrated at the evacuation camps as a balm to frayed nerves.

"We are praying for strength and for Mayon to stop because the booming sounds are frightening the children," an evacuee said.

quote:

Op donderdag 24 december 2009 14:01 schreef Adelante het volgende:
Hij schiet nog niet echt op, he!?

quote:

Thursday 24th December 2009
Mayon Volcano, Philippines
Eruptions continue at Mayon volcano, Philippines. Lava fountains have reached a height of 500 m above the summit. Lava is flowing down the Bonga-Buyuan, Miisi and Lidong gullies. Seismiometers measured 815 volcanic earthquakes over the past day. One hundred twenty four booming and rumbling sounds were heard over the past 24 hours. Sulphur dioxide emission was 5, 737 tonnes/day.