The Mayon volcano, which rises 8,077 feet on the island of Luzon, is the Philippines most active volcano, according to USGS. The Philippines, which has about 22 active volcanoes, lies in the “Ring of Fire,” a line of seismic faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. The Philippines raised the alert level at its most active volcano, Mount Mayon, after fresh activity. Mayon has been spewing lava and a cloud of ash since 13 January, forcing more than 56,000 residents to flee their homes in the central province of Albay and finding shelter in 46 evacuation camps. Authorities raised the alert level to four on a scale of five because a hazardous and violent eruption is expected within days. An 5 mile exclusion zone has been put in place around the volcano. More than 30,000 ash masks and about 5,000 sacks of rice, along with medicine, water and other supplies, were being sent to evacuation centers. Food packs, water, medicine and other relief goods remain adequate but may run out by mid-February if the eruption continues and new supplies fail to come on time, officials said. During eruptions pyroclastic flows, which are fast moving rivers of lava and molten rock race down Mayon’s flanks from its summit, often devastating villages in its path. The most violent eruption, in 1814, left more than 1,200 people dead.
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