Europe , Russia Dozens of mud volcanoes are located on the
Taman Peninsula of
Russia and the
Kerch Peninsula of
Crimea, Ukraine along with the south-western portion of
Bulgaria near
Rupite. In
Italy, they are located in Emilia-Romagna (Salse di Nirano and Salse di Regnano), in the northern front of the
Apennines as well as the southern part (Bolle della Malvizza), and in
Sicily. On 24 August 2013, a mud volcano appeared in the center of the via Coccia di Morto
roundabout in
Fiumicino near
Rome. Mud volcanoes are located in the
Berca Mud Volcanoes near Berca in
Buzău County,
Romania, close to the
Carpathian Mountains. They were declared a natural monument in 1924.
Asia Central Asia, The Caucasus, and The Caspian Sea Many mud volcanoes exist on the shores of the
Black Sea and
Caspian Sea.
Tectonic forces and large sedimentary deposits around the latter have created several fields of mud volcanoes, many of them emitting methane and other hydrocarbons. Features over high occur in
Azerbaijan, with large eruptions sometimes producing flames of similar scale.
Georgia There are mud volcanoes in
Georgia, such as the one at
Akhtala.
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is home to numerous mud volcanoes, mainly in the western part of the country including
Cheleken Peninsula, which borders the Caspian Sea.
Iran and Pakistan (Makran Mountain Range) Iran and
Pakistan possess mud volcanoes in the
Makran range of mountains in the south of the two countries. A large mud volcano is located in
Balochistan, Pakistan. It is known as
Baba Chandrakup (literally Father Moonwell) on the way to
Hinglaj and is a
Hindu pilgrim site.
Azerbaijan ,
Azerbaijan , India
Azerbaijan and its
Caspian coastline are home to nearly
400 mud volcanoes, more than half the total throughout the continents. Most mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan are active; some are protected by the Azerbaijan Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the admission of people, for security reasons, is prohibited. In 2001, one mud volcano from
Baku made world headlines when it started ejecting flames high. In Azerbaijan, eruptions are driven from a deep mud reservoir which is connected to the surface even during dormant periods, when seeping water shows a deep origin.
Seeps have temperatures that are generally above ambient ground temperature by – . On 4 July 2021, a mud volcano eruption on
Dashli Island in the Caspian Sea, near an oil platform off the coast of Azerbaijan, caused a massive explosion and fireball, which was seen across the region, including from the capital
Baku, which is to the north. The flames towered into the air. There were no reports of injuries or damage to any oil platforms. The last previous volcanic eruption on the island was recorded in 1945 and the preceding one in 1920.
India Extensive mud volcanism occurs on the Andaman
accretionary prism, located at the
Andaman Islands in the
Indian Ocean.
Indonesia Mud volcanism is a common phenomenon in
Indonesia with dozens of structures present onshore and offshore. Drilling or an
earthquake in the
Porong subdistrict of
East Java province,
Indonesia, may have resulted in the
Sidoarjo mud flow on 29 May 2006. The mud covered about 440 hectares, (2.73 mi2), and inundated four villages, homes, roads, rice fields, and factories, displacing about 24,000 people and killing 14. The gas exploration company involved was operated by
PT Lapindo Brantas and the earthquake that may have triggered the mud volcano was the 6.4 magnitude
Yogyakarta earthquake of 27 May 2006. According to geologists who have been monitoring Lusi and the surrounding area, the system is beginning to show signs of catastrophic collapse. It was forecast that the region could sag the vent and surrounding area by up to in the next decade. In March 2008, the scientists observed drops of up to in one night. Most of the subsidence in the area around the volcano is more gradual, at around per day. A study by a group of Indonesian geoscientists led by Bambang Istadi predicted the area affected by the mudflow over a ten-year period. More recent studies carried out in 2011 predict that the mud will flow for another 20 years, or even longer. Now named
Lusi – a contraction of
Lumpur Sidoarjo, where
lumpur is the Indonesian word for "mud" – the eruption represent an active hybrid system. In the
Suwoh depression in Lampung, dozens of mud cones and mud pots varying in temperature are found. In
Grobogan, Bledug Kuwu mud volcano erupts at regular intervals, about every 2 or 3 minutes.
Iran There are many mud volcanoes in
Iran: in particular, in the provinces of
Golestan,
Hormozgan, and
Sistan and Baluchestan, where
Pirgel is located.
Mariana Forearc There are 10 active mud volcanoes in the
Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc which can be found along a north to south trend, parallel to the Mariana trench. The material erupted at these mud volcanoes consists primarily of blue and green
serpentinite mud which contains fresh and serpentinized
peridotite material from the subduction channel. Fluid from the descending
Pacific Plate is released by dehydration and alteration of rocks and sediment. All of these mud volcanoes are associated with faults, indicating that the faults act as conduits for the serpentine mud to migrate from the subduction channel to the surface. Such extrusions are reported to be accompanied by mild earthquakes and evidence of extruded materials can be found high in the surrounding trees. Submarine mud extrusions off the island have been observed by local residents.
Other Asian locations • There are a number of mud volcanoes in
Xinjiang. • There are mud volcanoes at
Minbu Township,
Magway Region, Myanmar (Burma). There is a local belief that these mud volcanoes are the refuge of mythological
Nāga. • There are two active mud volcanoes in southern Taiwan and several inactive ones. The Wushan Mud Volcanoes are in the
Yanchao District of
Kaohsiung City. There are active mud volcanoes in Wandan township of Pingtung County. • There are mud volcanoes on the island of
Pulau Tiga, off the western coast of the Malaysian state of
Sabah on Borneo. • The Meritam Volcanic Mud, locally called the 'lumpur bebuak', located about from
Limbang,
Sarawak, Malaysia is a tourist attraction. • A drilling accident offshore of
Brunei on
Borneo in 1979 caused a mud volcano which took 20
relief wells and nearly 30 years to halt. • Active mud volcanoes occur in
Oesilo (
Oecusse District,
East Timor). A mud volcano in
Bibiluto (
Viqueque District) erupted between 1856 and 1879.
North America ,
British Columbia. Scale – each volcano approximately 20 m in diameter. Mud volcanoes of the North American continent include: • A field of small (2 and nitrogen; the volcanoes are associated with
magmatic processes. • An unnamed mud volcano high and with a top about wide, off
Redondo Beach, California, and under the surface of the
Pacific Ocean. • A field of small (2. One, known as the
Niland Geyser, continues to move erratically. • Smooth Ridge mud volcano in of water near
Monterey Canyon,
California. • Kaglulik mud volcano, under the surface of the
Beaufort Sea, near the northern boundary of
Alaska and
Canada.
Petroleum deposits are believed to exist in the area. •
Maquinna mud volcano, located west of
Vancouver Island,
British Columbia,
Canada.
Yellowstone's "Mud Volcano" The name of
Yellowstone National Park's "Mud Volcano" feature and the surrounding area is misleading; it consists of
hot springs,
mud pots and
fumaroles, rather than a true mud volcano. Depending upon the precise definition of the term
mud volcano, the Yellowstone formation could be considered a hydrothermal mud volcano cluster. The feature is much less active than in its first recorded description, although the area is quite dynamic. Yellowstone is an active
geothermal area with a magma chamber near the surface, and active gases are chiefly steam, carbon dioxide, and
hydrogen sulfide. However, there are mud volcanoes and mud geysers elsewhere in Yellowstone. One, the "Vertically Gifted Cyclic Mud Pot" sometimes acts as a geyser, throwing mud up to 30 feet high. The mud volcano feature in Yellowstone was previously a mound until a thermal explosion in the 1800s ripped it apart.
Caribbean c. 1967 There are many mud volcanoes in
Trinidad and Tobago in the
Caribbean, near
oil reserves in southern parts of the island of
Trinidad. As of 15 August 2007, the mud volcano titled the Moruga Bouffle was said to being spitting up methane gas which shows that it is active. There are several other mud volcanoes in the tropical island which include: • the
Devil's Woodyard mud volcano near New Grant,
Princes Town,
Trinidad and Tobago • the
Moruga Bouffe mud volcano near
Moruga • the Digity mud volcano in
Barrackpore • the
Piparo mud volcano • the
Chatham mud volcano underwater in the
Columbus Channel; this mud volcano periodically produces a short-lived island. • the Erin Bouffe mud volcano near Los Iros beach • L'eau Michel mud volcano in Bunsee Trace, Penal A number of large mud volcanoes have been identified on the Barbados accretionary complex, offshore
Barbados.
South America Venezuela The eastern part of
Venezuela contains several mud volcanoes (or mud domes), all of them having an origin related to oil deposits. The mud of from
Maturín, contains water, biogenic gas, hydrocarbons and an important quantity of salt. Cattle from the
savanna often gather around to lick the dried mud for its salt content.
Colombia Volcan
El Totumo, which marks the division between
Bolívar and
Atlantico in
Colombia. This volcano is approximately high and can accommodate 10 to 15 people in its crater; many tourists and locals visit this volcano due to the alleged medicinal benefits of the mud; it is next to a
cienaga, or lake. This volcano is under legal dispute between the Bolívar and Atlántico Departamentos because of its tourist value.
Australasia New Zealand As well as the
Runaruna Mud Volcano the size of the splatter cones associated with some of New Zealands many geothermal
mud pools or mudpots might qualify, depending upon definition.
Possible mud volcanoes on Mars ESP 052050 2200mudvolcanoes.jpg|Wide view of field of mud volcanoes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program 52050 2200mudvolcanoes.jpg|Close view of mud volcanoes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program 52050 2200mudvolcanoesboulders.jpg|Close view of mud volcanoes and boulders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program File:Mud volcanoes In Mare Acidalium, Mars 01.jpg|Wide view of mud volcanoes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program File:Mud volcanoes In Mare Acidalium, Mars 02.jpg|Close view of mud volcanoes, as seen by HiRISE File:Mud volcanoes In Mare Acidalium, Mars 03.jpg|Close view of mud volcanoes, as seen by HiRISE Low area around the volcanoes contains transverse aeolian ridges (TAR's). Only part of picture is in color because HiRISE only takes a color strip in middle of image. File:84807 2225conecolor 01.jpg|Close view of mud volcano, as seen by HiRISE. Picture is about 1 km across. This mud volcano has a different color than the surroundings because it consists of material brought up from depth. These structures may be useful to explore for remains of past life since they contain samples that would have been protected from the strong radiation at the surface. ==See also==