Sunday, August 13, 2006

Mayon volcano spews gas, debris

One of the world's most active volcanoes, Mayon in the Philippines, came to life again over the weekend with hot fast and debris spewing from its vent.

On Sunday, Mayon released unusually high levels of sulfuric dioxide at least six times.

"This is really the dangerous phase. We're not worried much with lava flows because they're slow moving, but pyroclastic flows travel at such high velocity and could destroy almost everything in its path," volcanologist Ed Laguerta said Sunday.

Mayon is a popular tourist destination because of its near perfect cone shape.

Lava flows down the slopes of Mayon volcano as seen from Legazpi city, Albay province southeast of Manila Friday evening Aug. 11, 2006.
Lava flows down the slopes of Mayon volcano as seen from Legazpi city, southeast of Manila Friday evening Aug. 11, 2006. AP Photo/Bullit Marquez via Yahoo News.