Mud Volcanoes: An Introduction
Common Name Of Landform: Mud Volcano Other Names: Mud Domes, Sedimentary Volcanoes, Gas-Oil Volcanoes, Mud Gryphons What Is A Mud Volcano? Mud volcanoes are landforms created by geo-excreted liquids and gases. Similar to how igneous volcanoes form to release the magmatic pressure, mud volcanoes form to relieve the pressure of sediments underground. Like the igneous volcano, mud volcanoes have stages of activity, dormancy, and extinction. However, unlike igneous volcanoes, temperatures of the mud flow are much cooler! Mud Volcano Formations: Mud volcanoes, like igneous volcanoes, also look very different depending on the viscosity and composition of the mud flow, as well as the age of the volcano. If the mud flow is thick, and the volcano has frequent yet small eruptions, a cone shape is formed. Over time, the cone gets bigger. However, upon a big eruption, the cone is blasted away and only a crater remains, from which the mud flows. An example of where only a crater remains is the LUSI mud volcano in Indonesia. The Igneous equivalent of this mud volcano formation is a cinder cone volcano. If there the mud flow is less viscus, a "shield type" mud volcano is formed, like the Boyuk Khanizadagh mud volcano in Azerbaijan. Mud Volcano Sizes: Mud volcanoes can range from tiny craters, less than a meter in diameter, to a volcano to 10 kilometers in diameter and 700 meters in height! Sizes vary on the types of mud flow, as well as the amount of pressure of sediments underneath! |
What is The Mud Flow Like?
The mud flow of the volcanoes consists of watery mud or clay which had mixed underground due to unstable/pressurized conditions, methane, and other gasses. Methane makes up about 86% of the gas emission. Methane is responsible for constantly churning the mud, and making the mud appear to “boil” as the gas escapes. Since mud volcanoes tend to form near oil and fossil fuel deposits, the mud also contains hydrocarbons. Sometimes, the escaping of methane gas along with the hydrocarbons can combust and send flames shooting up! Flames are known to get as high as 300m! For example, one the largest known mud volcanoes, Boyuk Khanizadagh in Azerbaijan, suddenly started spewing flames 300 meters high in 2001! Where Do Mud Volcanoes Typically Appear? Mud volcanoes typically appear near an area with pressurized sediments. They are most commonly found near oil and natural gas deposits, fault lines, saline water, areas with sharp folding, or near man-made mines. Mud volcanoes are also associated with subduction zones, with 700 of the known mud volcanoes in these zones. This is because there are igneous volcanoes near subduction zones, which would cause a rapid deposit of sediments. The rapid deposit wouldn't give time for the sediments to compress, creating uncompacted and highly pressurized sediments, one main ingredient to create mud volcanoes! Also, Mud volcanoes are correlated to over pressured shale bodies, mud/shale diapirs, mud lumps, and mud volcanoes. What Other Landforms Are In Association Of Mud Volcanoes? Common landforms around mud volcanoes are: Mud pots (which are often confused to be mud volcanoes), oil deposits, igneous volcanoes, fault scarps, or man made mines! For example, LUSI, an Indonesian mud volcano was near a fault, an igneous volcano which rapidly disposed sediments, a few fault scraps, as well as near a man-made mine. All these factors could have caused the volcano to form and massively erupt! (This example if studied later in the website. Click here to go to the page) |
What Are The Causes Mud Volcanoes To Form? When Are They Formed (Geologic Age)
Mud volcanoes are constantly forming to release pressure underground. Some volcanoes have formed thousands of years ago (and still remain), while some formed as recently as back in 2006, such as LUSI (Indonesian volcano). Mud volcanoes form whenever pressurized mud wells us to the surface to relieve the pressure underground. When there are under-compacted sediments underground between layers of clay, they are under high pressure. If they mix with groundwater, mud is formed. To release pressure of this mud underneath, mud volcanoes are formed. However, mud volcanoes typically form near gas/oil deposits because the presence of methane gas is what fuels the pressure, causing the slurry mud to swell up to the surface. What causes this pressure? This could be natural causes/human causes. Mud volcanoes can form in two different ways. Plate movement can cause new fractures in the layers of rock that keep the mud deposits stable, causing the layers to crack open and allowing the mud to rise to the surface if it’s under pressure. Earthquakes can mix surrounding groundwater with sediments, causing mud which travels through pre-existing cracks to the surface. However, sometimes man-made mining errors can result in groundwater seeping into areas with pressurized sediments, forming mud which later erupts at the surface through a mud volcano.
Mud volcanoes are constantly forming to release pressure underground. Some volcanoes have formed thousands of years ago (and still remain), while some formed as recently as back in 2006, such as LUSI (Indonesian volcano). Mud volcanoes form whenever pressurized mud wells us to the surface to relieve the pressure underground. When there are under-compacted sediments underground between layers of clay, they are under high pressure. If they mix with groundwater, mud is formed. To release pressure of this mud underneath, mud volcanoes are formed. However, mud volcanoes typically form near gas/oil deposits because the presence of methane gas is what fuels the pressure, causing the slurry mud to swell up to the surface. What causes this pressure? This could be natural causes/human causes. Mud volcanoes can form in two different ways. Plate movement can cause new fractures in the layers of rock that keep the mud deposits stable, causing the layers to crack open and allowing the mud to rise to the surface if it’s under pressure. Earthquakes can mix surrounding groundwater with sediments, causing mud which travels through pre-existing cracks to the surface. However, sometimes man-made mining errors can result in groundwater seeping into areas with pressurized sediments, forming mud which later erupts at the surface through a mud volcano.