New reports of mud volcano eruption in Baku, Azerbaijan

Head of the ANAS Institute of Geology's – Mud Volcano Department – Adil Aliyev told APA today that they received information about a volcano that erupted in Baku, Shabran region of Azerbaijan. Employees of the Institute of Geology have been sent there and will carry out research in the area.

Aliyev said that they didn’t have exact information how much area the volcano eruption covered and how long it lasted: “We have received information from the region that the volcano erupted. We should clarify whether it was eruption or not because we sometimes receive false information from the people. Thus, relevant researches should be carried out. Exact information will be available after the researches.”

Azerbaijan and its Caspian coastline are home to nearly 400 mud volcanoes, more than half the total throughout the world.

In 2001, one mud volcano, located 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Baku, made world headlines when it suddenly started ejecting 15 meters high flames.

In the Spring of 2001, volcanic activity under the Caspian Sea off the Azeri coast created a whole new island.

Mud volcanoes are one of the visible signs of the presence of oil and gas reserves hidden deep beneath land and sea in the Caspian region. They are essentially channels for releasing pressurized gas and mineral water and interesting because of their comparison to Mars. 

NASA geologists studying Mars have concluded that mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan are similar to uplands of the planet for their structure.

Featured image: Mud volcano in Azerbaijan. July 2009 – Interfase