Mayon Volcano: The Perfect Cone Volcano

The Mayon Volcano, or Mt. Mayon is located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the most notable natural landmark of the island rising to a height of 2,462 meters (8,077 feet) above sea level. Mount Mayon is located in the pacific ring of fire, a highly active volcanic area in the northern pacific. When viewed from the side, and above, Mt. Mayon is as close to a perfectly symmetrical cone volcano as one can find naturally occurring on earth.

The symmetrical conical shape is due to volcanic activity pushing the center up, while lava flows during eruptions helping to smooth the landscape out as it cascaded down the mountainside. At the symmetrical center of the Mayon volcano, is a crater, where most of the geologic activity originated from. Mt. Mayon has erupted over 40 times in the past 300 years, most notably in 1814 when it spewed ash on the tiny village of Cagsawa, leaving only the iconic Cagsawa church still standing, though mostly in ruins.

This eruption in 1814 is often compared to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the devastation it caused on the town of Pompeii, Italy in 79 A.D. The high concentrations of volcanic ash in the soil makes for very fertile land for growing crops.

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