Mud volcano

Mud volcanoes, also called Schlammdiapire are morphological surveys, which often take the form of a volcano and where water-saturated in more or less regular intervals mud emerges, often together with methane.

Formation

The formation of mud volcanoes is in many cases so-called "cold volcanism " back ( which is actually no volcanism in the strict sense, but geologically, is called diapirs ' ) by slurried tonreiches sedimentary rock due to its relatively low density and the swelling capacity of the clay minerals in the earth's crust rises. Requirement for this process is usually a rapid sedimentation of clay deposits in combination with pressurized water. The rise of super-saturated with water sediment is often linked to weak zones in the crust, resulting in areas of tectonic compression. The same deposition conditions that favor the formation of mud volcanoes, also lead to the development of hydrocarbon resources, so that they often occur together. Sparked the outbreak of a mud volcano, a sudden depressurization of water supersaturated sediment by an earthquake be, in some cases originated mud volcanoes by holes in the frame of exploring for or extracting oil deposits.

In contrast to the cold volcanism increases in hot volcanic molten rock from the mantle on. Mud volcanoes are often confused with the mud pots, which are driven by heated water in geothermal active areas.

Occurrence of mud volcanoes

There are so far 1,100 active mud volcanoes known. Their diameter ranges from several tens of centimeters as on the Caribbean island of Trinidad up to eight kilometers.

Mud volcanoes are found under the sea and on land. Submarine mud volcanoes exist about the Norwegian coast (eg Håkon Mosby, see below), in the Barents Sea, the Gulf of Cadiz (eg Al Idrisi ), the Black Sea or the Caspian Sea, just off the coast of British Columbia and in the Caribbean.

On land mud volcanoes occur, for example, in Azerbaijan, where those of the Caspian Sea occur almost half of the known on earth mud volcanoes in the club. Some mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan burn because the rising methane has ignited. Further, mud volcanoes found in northern Italy and Sicily (see below), in Romania at Berca or on the island of Trinidad, in addition, four times the island Chatham emerged in the last 100 years as a result schlammvulkanischer activity before. They were each re- eroded by the sea.

More mud volcanoes are known in Russia, Ukraine, the People 's Republic of China, Myanmar and Taiwan and on Sumatra. In America there are active mud volcanoes in Alaska, California, Venezuela and Colombia. The mud volcanoes on the Colombian Caribbean coast are of interest to tourists because of its ability to take mud baths in them, especially the towering volcano " Totumo " between Cartagena de Indias and Barranquilla and the much flatter, less frequented by tourists bathing in Arboletes.

Håkon Mosby mud volcano off the Norwegian coast

The submarine Håkon Mosby mud volcano is located at 72 ° North on the continental slope of the western Barents Sea in 1,270 meters water depth. It rises about 12 meters above the sea floor and has a diameter of about 950 meters. The slurry is discharged at a temperature of 26 ° C, the normal temperature is at sea -1.8 ° C. The mud volcano has an annual free several hundred tons of the greenhouse gas methane, which slowly rises in the sea to the surface and escapes into the atmosphere. On the sea floor to the exit slurry methane processing live bacteria.

East Timor

In Oesilo (District Oecusse ) lie south of the village Saben in Suco Bobometo several mud volcanoes. Also reported Arthur Wichmann end of the 19th century by a mud volcano at Bibiluto, three kilometers from the sea. This should be broken out several times 1856-1879. He hurled "Water and bituminous substances with signs of fire from ".

Italy

From north to south the first mud volcanoes are found on the northern edge of the Apennines. Relatively known the mud volcanoes of Nirano south of Modena and further west are those of Regnano. In 1835 Regnano is an entire cubic kilometers of mud have escaped and have everything laid waste. Next are famous today because Erbohren of natural gas extinct fire of Pietra Mala, which have already been described by Alessandro Volta and mentioned by Michel Montaigne in his " bathing journey". At the present time there is an even burning natural gas well in the Apennines (2006 ).

In the region Ancona to be active more mud volcanoes. Larger notoriety enjoys the Bolle di La Malvizza ( Castelfranco in Miscano ). In contrast, the occurrence in San Sisto ( Montalto Uffugo ) in Calabria, which the Atlante Fisico - Economico continued to show in the 30s, now dried up. In Sicily mud volcanoes come in Aragona just north of Agrigento before ( the Vulcanelli di Macalube ), but also the outcrops at Paternò within sight of Mount Etna.

Mud volcano on Java

On 29 May 2006 began in the east of the Indonesian island of Java on the territory of the town of Sidoarjo, a mud volcano with his outburst. See the main article mud volcano on Java.

Arabian Sea

At two locations off the coast of Pakistan 3 cases of island Enste Hungen were reported. Shallow in 6-7 m Last on September 24, 2013 in front of the sea Gwadar. From this bubble throwing island formation in the Arabian Sea is expected to level off again in the sea, like the other two before.