There are volcanoes on every continent except Australia, even Antarctica. The main locations of the volcano are mainly located in seismically active zones, faults in the earth's crust and at the junctions of tectonic plates. Active volcanoes are found in those parts of the world that are also most prone to earthquakes, where there is the most underground movement.

Volcanoes are not only active, but also the so-called "sleeping volcanoes". Moreover, the latter are no less dangerous, since they can wake up at any time. The most active volcanoes erupt once every few years, and all active volcanoes erupt once every 10-15 years.

Usually, before the main eruption, volcanoes become active, which is expressed in the roar, emissions of steam and gases. The smell of sulfur from local rivers, burning acid rain, loud roar or clouds of steam coming out of a volcano are all warning signs.

Harbingers of volcanic eruptions.

- Increased gas emission.
- The rise in soil temperature on the slopes of the volcano.
- Strengthening of its seismic activity, expressed in a series of tremors of different strengths.
- Swelling of the volcanic cone and change in the slope of its surface.

During an eruption, hot and molten magma flows out of the crater of a volcano in the form of lava flows. Getting into this zone is deadly and can at best lead to severe burns. When pressure pushes molten rock (magma) through a crack to the surface, a channel is formed - merlot. This conduit usually becomes the main outlet for subsequent eruptions, although other conduits may appear. A strong eruption can rip off an entire mountaintop.

The molten rock, which is commonly referred to as lava, when this mass reaches the surface, can be of two types: granitic lava, which is thick and slow moving, and basaltic lava, which flows faster and has a speed of 8-16 km/h. Granite lava tends to plug the crater of the volcano, which is eventually cleared by an explosion due to the buildup of pressure below. Lava and pieces of rock are scattered over a long distance and cause fires.

Under the influence of air from above, lava flows are covered with a dark and rather dense crust, on which you can sometimes even walk, but this is extremely dangerous because of the threat of not only burning, but also falling into a hot stream, the temperature of which is several hundred degrees. Being near a crater or on the slope of a volcano is dangerous not only during an eruption, but also because various poisonous gases often escape from the ground. Such outlets of gases are called fumaroles. Often carbon dioxide, which has neither color nor smell, accumulates in relief depressions and can cause severe, often fatal poisoning. Often jets of red-hot steam escape from cracks in the ground.

The dangers of a volcanic eruption and human behavior in the danger zone.

Lava.

While in most cases it is possible to run or even get away from basaltic lava flows, they flow non-stop until they reach the bottom of the valley or eventually cool off. They destroy or cover everything in their path. Lava flows are probably the least life-threatening eruption, since a normal healthy person can walk away from it.

Volcanic bombs.

Volcanic "bombs", ranging in size from small pebbles to huge pieces of stone and plastic hot lava, can scatter over considerable distances. The "rain" of volcanic ash can cover much larger areas, a certain amount of volcanic dust rises to great heights and spreads around the world, affecting the weather. Hard helmets, such as those worn by construction workers, motorcyclists, or jockeys, may provide some protection when evacuating the area around a volcano. At greater distances, where evacuation may not be necessary, protection from the effects of ash and accompanying rain should be provided.

Volcanic ash.

But perhaps even more terrible phenomenon can be called the fall of hot ash, which not only destroys everything around, but can also cover entire cities with a thick layer. If you fall into such an ash fall, it is almost impossible to escape. Volcanic ash is not actually ash, but powdered rock ejected from a volcano in a cloud of steam and gases. This is an abrasive, irritating and heavy substance - roofs can break under its weight. It can suffocate crops, block roads and waterways, and when combined with toxic gases, it can also cause lung complications in children, the elderly, and those with lung disease.

In order to poison a healthy person, a sufficient concentration of poisonous gases is only very close to the eruption. But when the sulfur dioxide contained in the ash cloud combines with rain, sulfuric acid (and sometimes others) is formed in such concentrations that it can cause burns to the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Wear goggles (ski goggles or a snorkeling mask will seal your eyes—but not sunscreen). Use a damp cloth to cover your mouth and nose, or industrial face shields if available. When you reach the shelter, remove your clothes, thoroughly wash the parts of the body that were exposed, and rinse your eyes with clean water.

The "Scorching Cloud" Phenomenon.

A cloud of gas and dust can roll down the slope of a volcano at speeds of over 160 km/h. It is red-hot and moves so fast that it is impossible to escape from it. This phenomenon is often referred to as a "scorching cloud". If there is no solid underground shelter nearby, the only chance of survival is to dive underwater and stay there, holding your breath for about half a minute, until the incandescent cloud passes.

Mud streams.

Occur during volcanic eruptions and powerful mud flows like mudflows. A volcano can also melt snow and cause water-ice or mixed with earth - mud, or mudflow. It can move at speeds up to 100 km/h with the most devastating effect, as was the case in Colombia in 1985. In a narrow valley, its height can reach 30 meters.

The flows are dangerous long after the main eruption and are a potential threat even when the volcano is "sleeping" if it provides enough heat to melt the water that would be trapped by the ice barriers. Heavy rains can lead to the destruction of these ice dams. When evacuating by car, remember that ash can make roads slippery, even if it doesn't block them. Avoid valley routes, which can become mudflow routes.

Based on the book "Encyclopedia of Survival".
Chernysh I.V.

Hi everyone! I will continue my independent “trip” in Azerbaijan. Did you know that by number mud volcanoes Azerbaijan ranked first in the world? If you don’t lie, there are about three hundred of them throughout the territory. We have long dreamed of visiting one of the active volcanoes that are not full of magma, of course, although seeing hot lava live is also interesting. And then there was an opportunity to look at a unique mud volcano. Most of all I wanted to bend over the vent and capture the very fact mud eruption. And, you know, we were lucky, although the Azerbaijanis said that this could not be predicted.

My guidebook made it clear that the nearest place to please the eye with mud volcanoes is Gobustan, well, then we’ll go to Gobustan.

From the capital, according to the standard, we get out by bus. Where? Yes, it doesn’t matter where, the main thing is on the track away from the crowd and on the way to the intended goal. And from there, as expected.

They dropped us off literally at a gas station, there were no houses nearby, not even sheds, only scurrying cars. Since the landscape was not rich in greenery, I immediately noticed the highest mud volcano. It seemed to him at least three kilometers to stomp. Just in case, I clarified the information with the employees of the gas station. The guys claimed that in time it would take about 1.5 hours, hmm, we'll see. Since the acquaintance went light, you can ask to leave the bags here, like the guys are normal. One thing was straining, it was almost 5 pm, which means we had very little time before dark.

Mud volcanoes near Gobustan.

And the guys scared Mila with stupid snakes, so she walked almost all the way, intently scanning the ground under her feet. In truth, the scenery was bleak, so my companion didn't miss anything. Wherever you look, everywhere is a semi-steppe, in the distance you can see the hill of a volcano, and not a soul around.

They say that mud volcanoes are closely connected with the gas and oil field, and I believe this statement, because at first I had to constantly jump over black mud. The area seemed so lifeless that I thought there were people here, except for shepherds (judging by the artiodactyl tracks on a dry road), and even more so there were no tourists at all. Therefore, I was very surprised when a mini-bus appeared in the distance. We didn’t have time to get close to him, but I already guessed that this was an excursion delivery.

Soon a blue streak of water appeared on the horizon, making the landscape resemble a deserted Mars with mirages of oases. Yes, it was useless to count on a “carriage” at such a time of day. The only bus drove off in the opposite direction, and on the left, in the excavated quarries, there were only motionless tractors and excavators.

We had already walked for quite a long time, and visually the large mountain did not come even a meter closer, then we decided to turn a little to the side in order to at least have time to inspect the small volcano. This is what it means to live in completely different natural conditions, the distance in the forest, mountain and steppe zones is visually measured in completely different ways.

We thought that the volcano was still far away, but in fact we almost approached it, it's just not too big, as my eyes “lied” to me. We climbed a small mud volcano in no time. Unfortunately, he "slept". But I so wanted to see the eruption. A dark, cracked line of mud came out of a narrow vent. Apparently he "fell asleep" quite recently.

While I was upset, Mila realized that she was also mistaken about the distances and said that the “great” volcano was just a stone's throw away, maybe 15 minutes walk.

She herself did not go, but I decided not to leave empty-handed (more precisely, with a camera).

While I was walking to the top, I noticed fresh mud streams. Hooray! So there's a chance this volcano is active right now. In addition, I realized that the dirt comes out not only from the very top, but rather the opposite, most of it has narrow exits at the bottom and in the middle.

The volcano, indeed, turned out to be the highest, and behind it I saw several more similar, but smaller. The spectacle was enough for me here. In a wide crater with a diameter of 2-3 meters, gray slurry gurgled slowly. I took a chance and carefully raised my hand to the surface to get a feel for its temperature. No sensation of warmth was detected, then I touched the gray mass with my fingertip. Cool, it is absolutely cold and very viscous. If it weren’t for the strong wind, it was possible to smear it on the very “I don’t want to”.

Frankly, I struggled with the desire to sit on the edge of the “crater” and put my feet there. However, I remembered that time was short, so I just rolled up a few lumps of fresh mud, which a little later would “petrify to death”, and went back to Mila. A very pleasant feeling on the hands remains after this dirt, I remember the line from the advertisement “your skin becomes soft and silky.” I think this is just about volcanic mud.

As you can see, there is nothing super-dangerous in them, dirt and dirt.

Mila thought that she had missed all the fun, but on the way back, a large crater appeared right in front of us from nowhere, at the bottom of which we saw already familiar mud vents. In this place, they looked more interesting.

Mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan on the map.

We visited volcanoes closer to the sea, but the main tourist route is on the other side of the road, on the opposite side from the sea (Gobustan Mud Volcano is named on the map).

When we were at the gas station again, I looked at my watch, exactly 40 minutes walk from the big mud volcano, so the distance is about 2-2.5 km.

It’s not cool to spend the night at a gas station, and indeed in the bare steppe. Though the twilight was slowly and ruthlessly gathering over us, we stubbornly walked along the roadside with outstretched arms. After a while, a car with several young people picked us up. There was no point in going far, we only needed wheels for a more suitable place for a tent. I must say that it is very difficult to choose a cozy lodging for the night when there is bare steppe with dry thorny grass around for many kilometers. But the guys were talkative and very pleasant, they entertained us with conversations all the way, until I realized that there was no point in torturing myself or them, and asked me to stop at the first low trees that came across. We slammed the car door, thanking for the pleasant company, but the car was in no hurry to leave. A minute later, the driver came out and gave us a small gift in the form of a keychain. Whatever you say, it's nice.

As I thought, the bush is so heavily plowed up that it’s not even possible to stand evenly there, let alone put up a tent. Looking around, we noticed an Azerbaijani “tea house” across the road, from where loud music could be heard. I noticed that such establishments as oases in the middle of the desert, where you can quench your thirst with strong tea and conversation with the locals, and among other things, the owners plant entire alleys of trees and green lawns around their “business”. After 10 minutes, we agreed with the cafe workers about an overnight stay in a tent on their territory. Of course, we were offered a springy Soviet bed right on the street, but we politely “get out”.

I completely forgot to say that this is the last day of my stay in Azerbaijan. I no longer remember why we decided to leave this country so early. Maybe because we had enough of Turkey with similar landscapes, maybe we were afraid not to be in time for the weather in the more northern parts of the world. I have to admit that free travelers have enough limiters even without time, for example, the same weather. Especially if there are not so many warm things in the bag. One thing I know for sure, I will definitely return to this country to explore it in more detail. And ahead of us is an equally interesting Armenia. ?! I’ll tell you everything a little later, and if you subscribe to the news, you will always be the first to know the most interesting things from. Until we meet again, friends.

All people have a vivid image of a volcano formed since childhood: a tall cone-shaped mountain spewing bright fountains of hot lava, columns of black volcanic ash and huge pieces of rock. Therefore, with the phrase “mud volcano”, many take these words for a joke or start looking for some kind of logical catch. In fact, there are no jokes and tricks - mud volcanoes really exist, there are not so few of them, and they are a very welcome find for oil producers.

Look for dirt - find oil

Mud volcanoes are usually called a special type of geological formations, which are either a depression or a hole in the earth's surface, or a towering cone with a crater, from where mud masses and gases come from the bowels, often along with groundwater and oil. According to the location, two types of mud volcanoes can be distinguished - those that form in oil-bearing areas and those that appear in zones of volcanic activity. Mud volcanoes can be satellites of ordinary volcanoes - in this case, most often they are fumaroles, that is, cracks in the earth's surface, from which, under the influence of hot lava and volcanic gases, groundwater and dirt are brought to the surface. Usually fumaroles are located on the slopes or in the immediate vicinity of volcanoes.

Of much greater interest are those mud volcanoes that are born in oil-bearing areas, both on land and under water. In this case, the mechanism of occurrence of mud volcanoes is different: there is an underground or underwater deposit of oil or natural gas. Combustible gases are emitted from these deposits, which tend to come to the surface through cracks in the earth's crust. Where such cracks are combined with the occurrence of groundwater, mud volcanoes form: water also rises under the pressure of gases, mixes with the soil and forms mud masses. Depending on various factors, mud volcano eruptions can be permanent or periodic (the second option is more common). At the same time, a certain amount of oil often rises along with groundwater, which is a clear evidence of the existence of the field. About a third of surface mud volcanoes are located in Azerbaijan.

Dirt like a natural disaster

A condescending attitude towards mud volcanoes, which seem frivolous and harmless against the background of their "big brothers", can be costly. First of all, mud volcanoes are accompanied by natural gas emissions, which often leads to spontaneous fires that can damage people and buildings. But even if the products of the eruption are mostly mud masses, this can be fraught with considerable dangers - this is demonstrated by the events on the Indonesian island of Java, not far from Surabaya, the country's second largest city.

In May 2006, one of the local companies drilled a test well here, reaching the carbonate rock. However, the actions of the drillers provoked the emergence of a mud volcano: the discovered gas field provoked the rise of groundwater and the flooding of the surrounding area with liquid mud. At the same time, drillers tried to attribute the occurrence of a mud volcano to an earthquake that had occurred a few days earlier. Be that as it may, but all attempts to stop the flow of dirt and water from the bowels of the earth did not lead to anything, the eruption continues and, according to some estimates, lasts about thirty years. The eruption is uneven, on some days it almost completely stops, on some it turns into fountains of mud. As a result, the "mud patch" has grown to several square kilometers, forcing tens of thousands of local residents to evacuate. At the same time, all attempts to “shut up the volcano”, including with the help of hundreds of concrete balls, ended unsuccessfully: in March 2007, the eruption stopped for several hours, but then continued.

Burnt mountains and solar eclipses

Here are some interesting facts about mud volcanoes:

• in different countries there are different popular names for mud volcanoes: in Italy, depending on the type of this geological formation, salsa (“muddy”), salinella (“salt beds”), bollitori (“boiling”); in South America - vulcanitos; in Iceland - nomars; in Russia - burnt mountains;
• the largest mud volcanoes reach a diameter of 10 kilometers and a height of 700 meters;
• in 1955, a theory was put forward, according to which the activation of mud volcano eruptions depends on solar and lunar activity, primarily on eclipses. This theory has both supporters and opponents: there are cases when solar or lunar eclipses do not affect the clusters of mud volcanoes;
• in some regions of the world, mud volcano eruptions have a clearly pronounced seasonal character - the activation of these volcanoes occurs in the autumn period, which some experts associate with changes in the level of atmospheric pressure.

Alexander Babitsky

Which of us has not dreamed of taking a mud bath under the warm summer rays - and not in some sanatorium under the supervision of a vigilant nurse, but lying in the healing thick slurry of a mud volcano, so dense that one could not be afraid to go to the bottom.

A mud volcano is a hole or a hill with a crater formed in the earth, where mud masses and gases, often mixed with groundwater and oil, rise through the crater from the bowels of our planet. Geologists have discovered about eight hundred formations of this type on our planet, half of which are located in the Caspian Sea region (three hundred of them are in East Azerbaijan).

Mud volcanoes are widespread in a rather limited space - in the region of the Alpine-Himalayan, Pacific and Central Asian mobile belts, forming primarily in oil-bearing regions - a mud hill usually arises independently, by itself, and in zones of active volcanic activity - in the form of a fumarole of their can be found either on the slopes of fire-breathing mountains, or not far from them.

Volcanoes from oil-bearing regions

The method of formation of a mud hill formed in an area where oil occurs is somewhat different from how it appears, being a satellite of a magmatic volcano. Oil or natural gas located in the bowels of the earth constantly releases combustible gases that go up through cracks in the earth's crust.

If the cracks are located where the groundwater is, then combustible gases push the liquid upward, where it mixes with the soil, forming a mud volcano.

Together with underground waters, oil often rises in a small amount, being a clear evidence of the presence of a valuable deposit in the area. Such volcanoes can be both permanent and periodic (the latter option is more common), as well as active, extinct, buried, underwater, island and abundant oil.

How mud volcanoes erupt

The mud volcanoes that we have the opportunity to observe now appeared as a result of a huge number of eruptions that first began to show their activity several million years ago (for example, geologists have definitely established that this process began in the Caucasus about 35 million years ago) .

If the clay released during eruptions was of a dense consistency, a cone appeared at the site of the eruption, if it was liquid, a hole formed.

Since the eruptions of a mud volcano do not last long, geologists rarely have the opportunity to track this process from beginning to end (this is especially true for hills that are far from settlements). Therefore, they usually have time to arrive just in time for the end of the mud volcanic activity - and they learn about how everything happened mainly from people who were lucky enough to be at the scene at that moment. The activity of a mud volcano is usually characterized by two stages.

Active (paroxysmal)

It is characterized by a powerful ejection of gases and mud, which includes various rock fragments, from the main eruptive center. This picture looks pretty impressive. First, there is a rumble, a roar, an explosion and the release of a huge amount of dirt, after which the hydrocarbon gases ignite spontaneously, as a result of which a column of fire about 250 meters high is formed and small particles of the ejected rocks are completely melted.

Together with the fire, a huge amount of rock fragments (breccia) fly up, which, having reached a height of 120 meters, begins to fall down and completely fills the crater. If the channel of the mud volcano remains free, and the breccia did not manage to completely clog it, after a while active hills appear here.

Passive (griphon-salsa)

After the eruption ends, the volcano still remains active, as evidenced by the release of a small amount of gases, mud and water with oil particles from secondary eruptive centers.

The role of mud volcanoes in the life of modern man

It is not in vain that scientists consider the mud hill a free exploration drilling rig, because thanks to it they have the opportunity to study in detail rock fragments, gases, mineralized waters removed from the earth - and thus receive data not only on geochemical processes, but also on the natural resources of this region. terrain.

The mud of such volcanoes, due to the presence in it of chemical elements useful for the human body (boron, manganese, lithium, copper, etc.), is often used to treat various diseases. For example, one of the most popular volcanoes in Russia is located on the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov, in the tract of Sinya Balka, the mud volcano Tizdar.

During an extremely strong eruption that occurred about a hundred years ago, the cone of this mountain collapsed, as a result of which a crater formed, in the middle of which there was a mud lake with a diameter of about 25 m. The mud in this lake never dries up and has a constant recharge: from the bowels of the volcano to the earth surface per day comes out about 2.5 cubic meters. m. of healing consistency, and in the center of the crater you can see constant splashes of mud, which brings to the surface the mouth of the volcano.

There are suggestions that the depth of Tizdar is about 25 meters, but scientists can only judge this theoretically, because due to the fact that the mud in the crater is extremely dense, there is currently no way to get to the bottom of the pool (due to this, swimming in the mud the lake can be absolutely fearless, because in order to drown in it, you need to try very hard).

The Tizdar mud volcano (like all other formations similar to it) has a therapeutic effect not only because of the useful minerals and chemical elements contained in the mud, but also due to the temperature factor, when under the influence of heat the blood vessels expand, blood flow increases and metabolism accelerates, due to which reduces or even eliminates the inflammatory and painful processes that occur in the human body.