At any given moment, about 20 volcanoes<\/a> on Earth are actively erupting.\u00a0Often among them is\u00a0Mayon<\/a>\u2014the most active volcano in the Philippines. The nearly symmetrical stratovolcano, on Luzon Island near the Albay and Lagonoy gulfs, rises more than 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level.<\/p>\n Historical records<\/a> indicate Mayon has erupted 65 times in the past 5,000 years, with the latest episode beginning in January 2026. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology<\/a>\u00a0(PHIVOLCS)\u00a0first reported increased rockfalls near the volcano\u2019s summit and inflation of the mountain’s upper slopes.\u00a0On January 6<\/a>, the\u00a0alert level<\/a>\u00a0was increased to three on a five-level scale after lava began flowing from the crater and hot clouds of ash and debris called\u00a0pyroclastic flows<\/a> (also called pyroclastic density currents<\/a>) moved down one side of the mountain.<\/p>\n The volcano was still puffing and lava flowing on February 26, when the\u00a0OLI<\/a>\u00a0(Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8<\/a> acquired this rare, relatively clear image. The natural-color scene is overlaid with infrared observations to highlight the lava\u2019s heat signature.\u00a0On that day, PHIVOLCS reported volcanic earthquakes, rockfalls, and pyroclastic flows. The longest pyroclastic flow had traveled about 4 kilometers (3 miles) through the Mi-isi Gully on the southeast flank.\u00a0<\/p>\n The level-three alert, which remained in place in March, prompted evacuations within a 6-kilometer (4-mile) radius of the crater, displacing hundreds of families from communities including Tabaco City, Malilpot, and Camalig.\u00a0Past pyroclastic flows have proven extremely destructive, leading to more than 1,000 deaths in\u00a01814<\/a>, at least 400 deaths in 1897,\u00a0and\u00a077 deaths<\/a>\u00a0in 1993.\u00a0More than\u00a073,000 people<\/a>\u00a0were evacuated during an eruption in 1984.<\/p>\n Sulfur dioxide (SO2<\/sub>)\u00a0emissions\u00a0<\/a>during the current eruption have averaged\u00a02,466 tons per day,\u00a0with a peak of\u00a06,569\u00a0metric tons measured on February 4, 2026.\u00a0That is the highest SO2<\/sub> emission level for one day in 15 years, the PHIVOLCS announced<\/a> in early February. That was later exceeded on March 6, when SO2<\/sub> emissions reached as high as 7,633 metric tons<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Multiple NASA satellites have also monitored the volcano\u2019s sulfur dioxide emissions, showing sizable plumes of the gas drifting southwest on February 4<\/a> and March 6<\/a>.\u00a0The Philippine volcanology institute reported a peak in other activity on February 8 and 9<\/a>, with 469 rockfalls, 12 major pyroclastic flows, and ashfall in the municipalities of Camalig and Guinobatan.<\/p>\n NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the\u00a0<\/em>U.S. Geological Survey<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Story by Adam Voiland.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/eruption-at-mayon\/mayonvolcano_oli_20260226_lrg.jpg?w=2310&h=1968&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\")
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