The Mayon Volcano is located in the Philippines, 2462 m above the Albay Gulf, it’s also the most active volcano in the country. This is an example of a composite volcano, the historical eruptions of this active volcano date back to 1616 and has erupted over 50 times in the past 400 years. Pyroclastic flows and mudflows have commonly swept down many of the approximately 40 ravines that radiate from the summit and have often devastated populated lowland areas. Mayon’s most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1200 people and devastated several towns.

The Philippines is located on the boundaries of the Philippine and Eurasian plates. The converging plate boundaries created a subduction zone beneath the Philippines at the subduction zone, the magma will heat up and rise through cracks. This rising magma will eventually break the crust and cause an eruption(s). The most recent eruption, in 1993, began unexpectedly with an explosion. The initial eruption lasted only 30 minutes but it generated pyroclastic flows that killed 68 people and prompted the evacuation of 60,000 others.

If you grew up in the Philippines you would always hear about the legend of this beautifully symmetrical volcano and it also tecahes a moral lesson.