Excursion to the mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan from Gobustan
This tour can be safely classified as an extreme tourism. By the number of mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan ranks first in the world. About 65 percent of all mud volcanoes in the world are located in Azerbaijan. There are also marine mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan - there are more than 140 of them in the Caspian Sea. Eight islands appeared in the Absheron archipelago as a result of the activity of mud volcanoes. Mud volcanoes appeared on the territory of the current Azerbaijan Republic, presumably about 25 million years ago. By their origin, they are associated with oil and gas fields. Rich deposits of gas condensate and oil were discovered in these areas (Lokbatan, Garadag, Oil Rocks, Mishovdag, etc. ). In addition, the mud and liquid erupted by mud volcanoes are used as raw materials for the chemical and construction industries, as well as in pharmacology. Along with the geographical term “mud volcanoes”, they are also popularly called “yanardag” (burning mountain), “pilpilya” (terrace), “gainacha” (boiling water) and “bozdag” (gray mountain). Approximately 200 major eruptions have occurred on the territory of Azerbaijan from 1810 to the present, out of at least 50 volcanoes. The eruption of mud volcanoes is accompanied by strong explosions and underground rumble. Gases come out of the deep layers of the earth and immediately ignite. The height of the flame above the volcano reaches 1000 m (Garasu volcano).
