Thursday, October 26, 2006
Bulusan Volcano spews mud second time this week (1:50 p.m.)
MANILA -- The restive Bulusan volcano spewed mud and ash Thursday for the second time this week in the central Philippines, but scientists said there was no need to raise the alert status.
The 1,560-meter (5,149-foot) Mount Bulusan, which came back to life in March and shot ash and steam on Monday, ejected a stream of hardened lava and ash along a tributary leading to the Gulang-gulang River, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported.
It said low clouds obscured the summit but that no steam was observed coming out of the volcano, about 390 kilometers (240 miles) southeast of Manila.
Despite the latest activity, government seismologists said they will not raise Bulusan's alert status, which was at the lowest level.
It is one of 22 active volcanos in the Philippines, which lies in the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.
Also Thursday, seismologists decided to lower the alert status for the Mayon volcano, about 60 kilometers (40 kilometers) northwest of Bulusan in neighboring Albay province, to the lowest level after its activity waned.
The 2,462-meter (8,077-foot) Mayon stirred to life in a mild eruption in mid-July. Following six ash explosions within an hour on Aug. 7, scientists warned of a possible violent eruption, prompting the forced evacuations of nearby villages. They have since returned home.(AP) |
