Mud volcanoes

Mud volcanoes are widespread across the Republic of Azerbaijan. Locally, they go by various names such as "pilpila," "yanardagh," "bozdagh," "akhtarma," "gaynarja," and more. There are over 220 mud volcanoes scattered throughout Azerbaijan, including the Absheron Peninsula, Gobustan, the southeast Shirvan plain, the Samur-Davachi plain terrane, as well as both the Absheron and Baku Archipelago. Among the largest are Galmas, Toraghay, and Big Kanizadag, many of which exhibit a cone shape. These volcanoes range in height from 20 to 400 meters, with base diameters varying from 100 to 4500 meters.

In addition to onshore mud volcanoes, there are also buried and offshore varieties. The Caspian Sea alone boasts over 140 offshore mud volcanoes. Notably, eight islands within the Baku archipelago were formed by mud volcanic eruptions, including Khara-Zira, Zanbil, Garasu, Gil, Sangi-Mughan, and Chigmil. Buried mud volcanoes have been discovered through exploration wells, with traces of their ancient activity found among various stratigraphic units dating back around 25,000 years. Typically, mud volcano eruptions begin with underground rumbling followed by a forceful burst, as gases from deep formations ignite and flare up, sometimes reaching heights of up to 1000 meters (as seen in the Garasu mud volcano).