Mt. Mayon had no volcanic earthquake on Sunday but seismologists said that it is too early to tell whether the activities of the restive volcano had died down.

Renato Solidum, Director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Alert Level 2 (moderate unrest) status of Mayon volcano is maintained.

“We look at trends and evaluate the condition of the volcano through observations of many parameters—earthquakes, steaming, crater glow, ground deformation. We maintain the status at Alert Level 2,” Solidum explained.

The volcano found in Legazpi, Albay has recorded a total of 46 volcanic earthquakes from July 13-19, 2009, Phivolcs’ latest update of Mayon Volcano stated.

Despite having no volcanic earthquakes, Mt. Mayon’s crater glow remained at Intensity II and its steaming activity still at moderate level.

Mt. Mayon was placed under Alert Level 2 last July 10 because of the increase in its activities since June 2009. The volcano known for its near-perfect cone shape was on Alert level 1 (low level unrest) from October 2006 to June 2009.

Alert Level 2 means “a state of unrest which could lead to ash explosions or eventually to hazardous magmatic eruption.”

Phivolcs strongly recommends that the 6-kilometer (km) radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) around the volcano and the 7-km Extended Danger Zone (EDZ) on the southeast flank of the volcano are off-limits due to threat from sudden explosions and rockfalls from the upper slopes.

“Active river channels and those areas perennially identified as lahar-prone in the southeast sector should also be avoided especially during bad weather conditions or when there is heavy and prolonged rainfall,” Phivolcs warned.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs also maintained the Alert Level 1 status of Taal volcano in Batangas province.

“The status of Taal volcano remains at Alert Level 1. Significant volcanic and seismic events have been detected over the past months. The main crater remains off-limits to the public because steam explosions may suddenly occur or high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate,” Phivolcs warned.