Bizarre Natural Phenomena Vol.37 - Cold And Dirty "Lava" (Mud Volcanoes)

We all know volcanoes are hollowed out mountains that spew scorching hot lava which detroys everything in its path. But did you know that there are some volcanoes that instead of lava spout hot mud? 

(Image source - author, Uzeyir Mikayilov - license)

Mud or sedimentary volcanoes are not a rarity, they can be found in many places around the world, even underwater. Some of them may have caused lots of damage, whereas others serve as a great opportunity to enjoy a mud bath (like this lady here). Still, do you want to know how they form? Read on below...

The genesis

Just like igneous (lava-spewing) volcanoes, mud volcanoes form over a subduction zone (in a past post on earthquakes we saw that it's where one tectonic plate sinks beneath another one). Sediment, like clay and silt, is deposited in layers underground. Pressure increases and leads to temperature rising, gas and fluids escaping towards the surface in the form of muddy material jetted violently in the air. Eruptions often occur due to an earthquake that acts like a detonator for this "mud-bomb".

Mud volcanoes can be as tall as 1-700 meters and as wide as 1-10,000 meters. They have periods when they remain dormant, but they can wake up pretty loud. The mud coming out of these volcanoes is the water that mixes up with mineral deposits. Gases comprise mostly of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrogen, whereas the solid parts dilluted in the water can be salts, hydrocarbons and acids. 

Are they hot like lava volcanoes?

Temperatures range from 100°C  to 2°C, but they are generally cold volcanoes. This is why you can enjoy a mud bath in many of them.

Can anything good come out of them?

Well, mud volcanoes are related with underground hydrocarbon and petrochemical reserves, which are excellent energy resources.

(Image source)

Meet Lusi

The largest mud volcano is in Java, Indonesia. Although it's not clarified whether Lusi (that's the name of the volcano) was naturally born or man-made, the volcano has not stopped throwing up mud over the last decade (it was "born" in 2006). Lusi has been producing countless cubic meters of mud, burrying villages and damaging crops. It even had a death toll of 13 innocent people that lost their lives during its explosion and led almost 25,000 to leave their homes. The debate on its eruption is whether Lusi woke up because of an earthquake or it was an accident caused by the drilling procedures of a gas exploration well (most believe it's the latter).

An island made of mud

In 2013 a new island was formed overnight, when a mud volcano erupted in the seas of Pakistan. And this is not the only case. There are over a thousand mud volcanoes that can be found all over the world, especially in areas where tectonic plates meet or there is huge hydrocarbon pile up.

Watch a short demonstration of what a mud volcano looks like

References

livescience.com
atlasobscura.com
wikipedia.org
nationalgeographic.com
phys.org

Thank you very much for being here! I appreciate your support. If you want to see more of my posts, check some of the links below:    

• Trolls Around The Solar System - Part 3, Mars
• A Christmas Present For Alice - A Short Story Of Fantasy
• Bizarre Natural Phenomena Vol.36 - Diamonds In The Sky (Diamond Dust And Optical Illusions)
• Diamond Rain In The Forest - A Short Story Of Fantasy

Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!