Volcano Journal Entry

Mayon Spits Lava in Philippines (January 10, 2001)

Mayon volcano in the southern Philippines exploded with streams of lava and clouds of hot gases this week. Several seismic tremors were recorded. Local officials issued an alert to people living within 4 miles (6 kilometers) of the volcano's crater, but no evacuation order was given. Last February, 68,000 people were evacuated after the volcano spat out lava and hot rocks and covered nearby towns with ash.

Mayon, located about 215 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Manila, is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines. It has erupted more than forty times since 1616. Mayon's most lethal eruption was in 1814, when a town was buried in lava and more than 1,200 people died.

Many volcanoes occur at plate boundaries where subducted oceanic crust melts and forms magma, which then rises back to the surface inside the volcano. The Philippines are located along the Philippine Trench, where the Philippine plate subducts the Eurasian plate.

Mayon is one of the volcanoes in the Ring of Fire, the large arc of active volcanoes in subduction zones surrounding the Pacific Ocean.