Process explainer · updated 26 July 2026

2018: activity on the south flank.

Use the 2018 scene to ask why lava can be visible, why movement may favor one flank, and why a visual route is not a real-time flow prediction.

Vent position

Where material emerges can influence an early surface route. It is one control among many rather than a complete explanation.

Slope and topography

Gravity and local surface form influence movement. A terrain model is useful for orientation but is not a numerical flow simulation.

Changing conditions

Discharge, eruptive behavior, material properties, and changing vents affect real events. They are not calculated by this illustration.

What the visualization means

The glowing south-flank route is a teaching layer based on the experience’s historical context and terrain. It is designed to prompt process questions, not to estimate runout, volume, timing, probability, or a future route.

Safety boundary

For current Mayon activity, official alerts, exclusion zones, or emergency guidance, consult PHIVOLCS and local authorities.

Sources

Use the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program Mayon record for eruption-history context and the methods page for the simulator’s explicit limits.