Mayon Volcano or popularly known as Mount Mayon is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay, in Bicol Region, one of the large island of Luzon, Philippines.  It came in my mind to write about this place because last Saturday when we came from Legazpi City we gave some time to view and visit th Casagwa Ruin. This ruin is a church that was nearly buried when this volcano erupted. This volcano was renowned as the “Perfect Cone” because of its almost perfectly conical shape, Mayon is situated 15 kilometres northwest of Legazpi City. To explain further about this volcano, I researched on the internet and found out that Mayon is a stratovolcano or composite volcano. The current cone was formed through pyroclastic and lava flows from past eruptions. Mayon is the most active of the active volcanoes in the Philippines, having erupted over 47 times in the past 400 years.

It is located on a convergent boundary between the Eurasian and the Philippine Plate. Where a continental plate meets an oceanic plate, the lighter continental plate overrides the oceanic plate, forcing it down. Magma, formed where the rock melts, may be forced through the earth’s crust. One such exit point for the magma, is Mayon. Like other volcanoes located around the rim of the Pacific Ocean, Mayon is part of the “Pacific Ring of Fire”.

Mayon Volcano is the main landmark of Albay Province, Philippines. It is ten kilometres (6 mi) from the Gulf of Albay, in the municipalities of Legazpi City, Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao City, Tabaco City, Malilipot, and Santo Domingo (clockwise from Legazpi). It rises 2462 m (8,077 ft) above the gulf.

Mayon Volcano is the Philippines’ most active volcano and is considered to be the world’s most perfectly formed volcano for its symmetrical cone. It is a basaltic-andesitic volcano.  The upper slopes of the volcano are steep averaging 35-40 degrees and are capped by a small summit crater. Its sides are layers of lava and other volcanic material.