A bulletin released Monday night by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the alert status of Mayon Volcano from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 3 following noticeable increases in unrest by the active volcano.

Mayon Volcano, also known as Mount Mayon, is situated in the province of Albay on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. According to the report, 39 rockfall events and 32 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes were detected throughout the day on Monday by the volcano’s monitoring network.

PHIVOLCS explains that the rockfall events signal “incipient breaching of the growing summit lava dome across the southeastern crater rim” and that the volcanic earthquakes signify “magma intrusion and/or volcanic gas activity.” Furthermore, experts indicate that the molten lava and volcanic gas are causing the crater to glow, urging the PHIVOLCS Department of Science and Technology to raise the alert status.

Raising the alert status of Mount Mayon to Alert Level 3 suggests that there is a possibility of a hazardous eruption within weeks, due to the moderately high unrest exhibited by the volcano and the magma reaching the crater. Because of the possibility of eruption, PHIVOLCS classifies the six-kilometer radius around the volcano as a Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ), with the seven-kilometer radius as an Extended Danger Zone (EDZ).

According to GMA News, reports indicate that military personnel have evacuated approximately 1,700 families from these danger zones as of early Wednesday. That number is ongoing, however. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of the Philippines released an update Tuesday estimating that a total of 10,555 families or 51,625 individuals will be affected in 65 surrounding barangays (or districts) within the danger zones.

The Associated Press reports that in the last 400 years, Mount Mayon has erupted more than 40 times, most recently in May 2013.