Mt. Mayon is considered to be the world’s most perfectly formed volcano because of its almost symmetrical conical shape. Its’ current cone was formed through pyroclastic and lava flows from past eruptions. It is 8,223 feet high, and has indulged in several destructive eruptions. The most disruptive eruption was recorded in 1814 where many houses were destroyed and 2500 people were killed and wounded. This eruption buried the town of Cagsawa. During that time, Mt. Mayon was belching dark ash and eventually bombarding the town with tephra. Trees were burned; rivers were certainly damaged and 2,200 Albay locals perished in what is considered to be the most lethal eruption in Mayon’s history. Now, only the bell tower of the town’s church remained.
Mt. Mayon recorded forty-nine eruptions in the history and the first recorded major eruption was in 1616. In June 23,1897, Mt. Mayon erupted again, this was recorded as the longest uninterrupted eruption with lava flowing down to civilization. The village of Bacacay was buried 15 meters beneath the lava along with 100 people declared dead in Libon, Albay. They were burned by steam and falling debris or hot rocks. In the 1993 Mt Mayon eruption, Pyroclastic flows killed 77 people which were mainly farmers.
Because Mt. Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines, PHIVOLCS monitor it regularly. Three telemetric units are installed in the slope of the volcano. The units are responsible for sending information to seven seismometers in different settings around the volcano. The information are send to the Ligñon Hill observatory and to the PHIVOLCS central headquarters in UP Diliman campus. To monitor the volcano’s daily activity, PHIVOLCS deploys electronic distance meters (EDMs), precise leveling benchmarks, and portable fly spectrometers.
Because of the changing environment of the volcano, PHIVOLCS advises people to see the majestic volcano at the view point instead of climbing. Some of the skilled mountaineers who have already reached its crater said that climbing Mayon Volcano is tough and may require strong endurance, courage, and knowledge on volcanic topography. For those who are really interested, it is wise to consult PHIVOLCS for the recent volcanic activity of Mt. Mayon before climbing. Make sure to have a skilled guide for your safeness. It takes 2 days to climbing and descend from the volcano.
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