Lava and other molten material flowed from the crater atop Mayon Volcano Wednesday, as volcanic activity ramped up at the Philippines' most active volcano.
Activity increased fourfold from Tuesday to Wednesday, with 270 reports of lava and boulders spewing from atop Mayon observed at the site. More telling, however, is that some of the ejected molten material reached a gully on the southeastern side of the volcano, meaning the crater's lava dome may have been breached.
The first signs of activity Tuesday prompted officials to evacuate some 50,000 people as fears of an imminent explosive major eruption loom.
"A hazardous eruption is possible within weeks," the head of the Philippines' volcano agency, Renato Solidum, told AFP. "It's already erupting, but not explosive. Currently, the activity is just lava coming down. If there is an explosion, all sides of the volcano are threatened."
Volcanologists and residents have already witnessed a laundry list of volcanic activity at the more than 8,000-foot Mount Mayon. A pool of lava oozed over the volcano's crater, running more than a half a mile down the volcano's slope; multiple low-frequency earthquakes were reported at the site; and glowing, super-heated boulders were ejected from the crater, tossing them hundreds of feet down the slope.
http://www.weather.com/news/lava-erupts-mayon-volcano-philippines-20140917
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