The Philippines is host to more than two dozen active volcanoes. These volcanoes occur in a
variety of shapes and sizes. However, none of these volcanoes are as active Mount Mayon.
In the last 200 years, this volcano has produced 58 distinct eruptions. At the time of me recording
this video, the mountain has yet again been placed on a raised alert status as an orange
glow can be seen originating from its summit. This video will discuss this active volcano,
and mention what its future hazards are. The Mayon volcano can be found on the
southeast portion of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Specifically,
it is 11 kilometers west of Santo Domingo. Mount Mayon is quite interesting as it has a near
perfect symmetrical shape to it. If you measure the width of this volcano, it is essentially the
same in every direction. As a result, it is called the worlds most perfect volcanic cone.
We aren't sure exactly when this volcano began to form, but the most recent evidence
suggests that the mountain began forming 20,000 years ago. The early history of this mountain was
dominated by far more explosive eruptions than we see today. These eruptions created lots of a rock
type known as tuff, which forms as the result of pyroclastic flows and falling ash. The reason why
these eruptions were more explosive is that the lava contained slightly more silica than it does
today. These highly explosive eruptions continued until around 15,000 years ago. Afterwards,
there was then a fairly long gap of eruptions at the mountain. Around 13,000 years ago,
it appears that the largest known eruption at the volcano occurred. At depth there is a 1.5 meter
thick layer of ash spread across a vast area. This suggests that a plinian eruption, perhaps
rated as a 4 or 5 on the volcanic explosivity which deposited all of the ash in a single event.
During the next several thousand years, eruptions produced several types of volcanic rocks.
One of these rock types known as scoria indicates only a slightly explosive eruption
similar to what is witnessed at Mount Stromboli today. Another rock type, known as pumice,
resulted from subplinian eruptions similar to a typical eruption at the Taal volcano.
Complete records of this volcano's eruptions are present beginning about 425 years ago.
The first of these documented eruptions was above average in size and lasted for 4 days in 1616.
Afterwards, the volcano was quiet for 150 years. Later, during the 19th century,
the frequency of eruptions began to increase. One of these eruptions was the deadliest and largest
known since record keeping began at the mountain. An eruption in February of 1814 resulted in more
than 1,000 fatalities, due to both falling ash and lahars. This eruption deposited more than a
meter of ash in some areas and resulted in the destruction of the town Caswaga.
Another large eruption occurred in 1897, and caused bombs of lava to fall up to 14 kilometers
away which destroyed structures and started fires. During this same eruption, flows of lava buried
one of the nearby villages with 15 meters of rock. Since then, 27 additional eruptions have occurred.
These eruptions typically lasted no longer than a month, and often created long distance lava flows.
One of these flows traveled 8.5 kilometers, and reached the outskirts of Santo Domingo. The most
recent eruption at Mayon ended in October of 2019. Today, in February of 2021, you can see a faint
glow of orange lava at the top of the mountain. Although the volcano is not yet erupting, it
is only a matter of time until its next eruption begins. It is difficult to say how large the next
eruption will be, but it will likely be similar to its 2018 eruption. When this next eruption occurs,
an area within 7 kilometers of the mountain would need to be evacuated due to the threat
of pyroclastic flows, and large bombs of lava. Second, for areas up to 15 kilometers away, I
would recommend temporarily making it mandatory to wear hard hats due to the threat of falling rocks.
Finally, I would encourage people to stay away from rivers. Rivers represent
low points that debris flows known as lahars WILL travel down during an eruption. Overall,
Mount Mayon is a high threat volcano, but people can live nearby with relative safety
if they follow a few basic precautions. I hope that you enjoyed this video. If
you would like to request a specific topic, please leave a comment below.