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Mayon Volcano
Photograph by Bullit Marquez, AP
December 28, 2009--Otherwise invisible on a hazy night, the Philippines' Mayon Volcano is given away by cascading lines of glowing lava on Sunday.
The Philippine government has issued a level-four alert for the Mayon Volcano area (map), indicating that a major eruption is believed to be possible at any moment.
On Monday morning the 8,070-foot (2,460-meter) volcano saw ash explosions roughly every half hour, according to Eduardo Laguerta of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, speaking to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Among other signs of unrest within the past two days: at least 44 earthquakes and rising sulfur dioxide emissions.
About 200 miles (330 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Manila, Mayon Volcano began spewing ash and spilling lava two weeks ago, though signs of seismic trouble prompted evacuations as far back as August.December 28, 2009
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Mayon Volcano
Photograph by Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images
Seen from the Philippine city of Legazpi, Mayon Volcano blows smoke on December 28, 2009, as clouds wreathe the volcano's famously symmetrical peak. Increasing ash outputs are among signs that, despite an apparent Christmas-weekend lull, the volcano remains a danger, and evacuees should not return home, experts warned.
Citing subsurface readings of rising magma and quakes, as well as gas readings, Philippine government volcanologist Renato Solidum warned the Mayon refugees not to become "complacent" during a radio address Sunday.
"It may look calm, but it is not calm. It can still explode," he said. "You might think it is taking a break, but the volcano is still swelling."
(Also see "Mystery Volcano Eruption Solves Global Cooling Puzzle.")December 28, 2009
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Lava Flow
Photograph by Erik de Castro, Reuters
Lava spills from Mayon Volcano on December 27, 2009, in Albay Province, Philippines. Tourists hoping for a similarly close-up view will be sent packing, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which reported on December 29 that police officers and soldiers have been told to strictly restrict access to the volcano after foreigners entered the evacuated area.
Flybys are also a no-go. On Monday the area was declared a no-fly zone after officials were "flooded" with requests to view the volcano from the air, the Manila Bulletin reported the same day.
The larger challenge, though, may be keeping residents at bay. Refugees from 29 volcano-area evacuation centers have been illegally reentering the danger zone to fetch supplies or tend to their livelihoods.
"The top three reasons people return to their homes during the evacuation are for firewood, their animals, and their farms," Albay Governor Joey Salceda told ABC News.December 28, 2009
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Lava Flow
Photograph by Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images
A forked tongue of lava scorches a side of the Philippines' Mayon Volcano on December 28, 2009.
Mayon Volcano's recent eruptions may come as small surprise to area residents, many of whom likely remember the volcano's last eruption. Rumbling for months in 2006, the volcano spewed tons of ash, which a typhoon later turned into mudslides that smothered villages and killed hundreds.
In 1814 lava from Mayon Volcano crept over the town of Cagsawa, destroying it and killing some 1,200 people--the volcano's deadliest known eruption.December 28, 2009
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Legazpi
Photograph by Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images
Volcanic ash from Mayon Volcano streaks the skies over Legazpi, Philippines, on December 27, 2009.
The aircraft-unfriendly ash helped convince officials to establish a no-fly zone around the volcano on December 28.
"The worst-case scenario is that [a plane's] engine would suddenly stop from functioning while in the air," Philippine Air Force Col. Kit Caraga told the Manila Bulletin.December 28, 2009
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Residents
Photograph by Bullit Marquez, AP
As Mayon Volcano rumbles in the distance, residents of Legazpi, Philippines, carry on with their daily business on December 27, 2009. A five-mile (eight-kilometer) danger zone has been established around the volcano, prompting nearly 50,000 people to spend their holidays in evacuation centers.
As of Monday, the region remains under a level-four alert, meaning a dangerous eruption is possible at any moment.December 28, 2009
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