As of 2:30 p.m. today, December 20, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has raised the warning for Mayon Volcano from Alert Level 3 to Alert level 4. This indicates that a major Mayon eruption won’t happen by New Year, as earlier predicted. Phivolcs now says a “hazardous explosive eruption is now possible within days.”

As a result, the government’s seismic and volcano agency has further extended the danger zone to 8 kilometers from the summit at the southern sector and 7 km at the northern sector.
(more…)