On hearing the name of a volcano, the scene of fire and lava spewing hills emerges in our mind, but you will be amazed by the fact that many such volcanoes are also seen on earth, which instead of fire and lava, spew muddy silt. In addition, some greenhouse gases are also emitted from these volcanoes and this unique creation of nature is popularly called a "Mud Volcano" or "Mud Dome". They are not actually volcanoes but because of their behavior, they have been given the status of volcanoes. Mud volcanoes are frequently found where subsurface liquid layers such as silt or clay have been subjected to pressure from tectonic activity and have accumulated hydrocarbon gases.
This pressure of tectonic activities pushes the surface upwards, resulting in these conical mud mounds erupting on the surface of the earth, from which muddy or slimy slurry-like liquid and gases are emitted. A crater is often formed on the top of these mud volcanoes, from where mud and gases are released, and due to their interaction, they sometimes ignite, resulting in flames start rising from them. These mud volcanoes are found in many countries of the world including India. In India, Baratang in Andaman contains the only known examples of mud volcanoes. Mud volcanoes are typically 1 to 2 meters high and equally wide. But sometimes their height is up to 700 meters and with this height, they can be 10 kilometers wide.
Formation of Mud Volcanoes
Several factors are responsible for the formation of mud volcanoes in nature, such as the accumulation of gas in the inner layers of the earth, the presence of mud in the subsurface of the crust, and high-pressure conditions. The original components of mud volcanoes present on the ocean floor are inactive in nature, but when geological movements occur, they become active and as a result, the mud or silt present in them rises up and opens its mouth on the surface of the ocean, which leads to the formation of mud volcanoes. Natural causes such as the movement of tectonic plates as well as human activities such as drilling on the ocean floor are responsible for the formation of mud volcanoes.
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The temperature of mud volcanoes can range from 2°C to 100°C and they are used by people for mud baths, which is a very popular activity. When they explode, hot soil and mud are emitted from them, but when they remain calm, halite is released. Halite is commonly known as rock salt. Mud volcanoes are found in almost every region of the world such as Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. These volcanoes of different sizes and types are found in all these regions. Azerbaijan and its Caspian coast are full of such volcanoes with more than 400 mud volcanoes. Most of Azerbaijan's mud volcanoes are active and erupt frequently. In the year 2001, a mud volcano in Baku made world headlines when it erupted and sent flames 50 feet high.
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