Woah.

The Philippines’ volatile Mount Mayon lies about 340 kilometers southeast of Manila, and is popular with climbers and tourists. In the past 500 years, it has erupted 50 times, sometimes violently.

Authorities are now saying it’s due for another eruption, and 40 000 people have been evacuated after warnings to stay clear of the volcano.

It’s beginning to get feisty, because overnight there were multiple minor eruptions that spread lava and ash for kilometres, reports TIME.

For real.

Not only did a thick column of ash stream five kilometres into the air above the volcano, but falling ash left Guinobatan, a town of around 80 000 people, in a state of “zero visibility”.

Lava fountains reached 700 metres above the crater.

More than 30 000 people are staying in evacuation centres and, thankfully, no deaths or injuries have been reported.

Fox News going all out with the dramatic music:

And then there’s a nifty timelapse of Mayon:

Scary stuff, but will it erupt once and for all?

This from Forbes:

While Mount Mayon volcano is certainly capable of a major volcanic eruption, it’s unclear whether that will be the end result of this recent activity. The volcano could be simply letting off extra pressure by continually erupting at low levels as it has done in the past.

Alternatively, this could be signs of an impending major eruption, as it has also done in the past. What will be key is for geologists and volcanologists to monitor the volcano for signs of continuously increased activity. A growth in the magnitude and frequency of eruptions, changes to the composition of gases and ash released, and increased seismic activity could all be indicators that a major eruption is coming.

Only time will tell.

[source:time&forbes]