Dedicated by Prof. Hardi Prasetyo
Sources:
Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences Geology Institute: Ibrahim S. Guliyev, Akbar A. Feyzullayev: "All About Mud Volcanoes".
Adil Aliyev: Presentation about Mud Volcanoes to the recently-formed Natural History Association of Azerbaijan, 2003.
http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_articles/112_mud_volcano.html
Mud Volcanoes: Mysterious Phenomena Fascinate Scientists and Tourists
by Ronnie Gallagher
(Catatan Hardi Prasetyo:Lusi Library)
Naskah ini merupakan salah satu contoh, tulisan ilmiah populer untuk publik umum tentang mud volcano, dan sebagai salah satu bimbingan untuk Tur bagi Wisatawan
Original Manuscript: gallagar.pdf View Download
Digital Figures:
Below: (Above right) At Cape Alyat on the Caspian. Example of mud volcanic activity - pools and mudflows. (Bottom left) Brianna Sinqufield, thoroughly enjoying a day at the mud volacones. (Photos: Ronnie Gallagher)
http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_photos/112_309_mud_volcano_a.jpg
Below: (Left) Scientists study mud volcanoes to understand the nature of hydrocarbon activity beneath the earth's surface. There are more mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan than any other country. (Photo: Litvin)
Right: Mud Gryphon. (Photo: Ronnie Gallagher)
http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_photos/112_310_mud_gryphon_a.jpg
Above: A hill created by a mud volcano in Aghjakand village of Kalbajar region, photo 1936. Kalbajar has been under Armenian occupation since 1992. (Photo: Azerbaijan National Photo Archives)
http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_photos/112_225_mudvolcano_1936.jpg
Left: Example of mud volcanic activity - pools and mudflows. (Photo: Ronnie Gallagher)
http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_photos/112_313_mudflow_sea_a.jpg
Photo by Ronnie Gallagher.
http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_photos/112_318a_mud_bathing_a.jpg
Left: Kinezdagh Mud Volcano - one of the largest mud volcanos in Azerbaijan. (Photo: Ronnie Gallagher)
Left: Example of mud volcanic activity - pools and mudflows. (Photo: Ronnie Gallagher)
Semburan gunung atau volkanik (Volcanoes and volcanic eruptions) umumnya merupakan kata-kata yang berasosiasi dengan suatu pelepasan energi dalam jumlah yang besar, dimana dihasilkan oleh adanya perubahan muka bumi.
Hampir semua orang saat ini mengetahui tentang membaranya gunung berapi oleh magma dalam bentuk cairan atau bubur batuan.
Bila dinilai dari dokumentasi film-film terhadap aktivitasnya, juga dari ratusan buku-buku atau ribuan makalah ilmiah. Ini karena secara alami gunung api magmatik (magmatic volcano) tidak saja sebagai suatu fenomena yang sangat mempesona. Tapi juga menyediakan suatu panorama yang mendalam ke bagian dalam dari Bumi kita (interior of the earth) yang tak dapat dijangkau oleh manusia atau dengan metoda lainnya.
Volcanoes and volcanic eruptions are words we associate with enormous release of earth's energy, which results in a change to the face of the Earth. They usher us back to distant ages when the Earth was a lifeless planetary body when fire and water raged.
Everyone today knows about burning volcanoes made of magma with its liquid or molten rock. Scores of films have documented their activities, as have hundreds of books, and thousands of scientific papers.
This is only natural since magmatic volcanoes are not only exotic phenomena, but they also provide a view deep into the interior of the Earth which is virtually inaccessible to us by any other method
"Mud volcanoes," juga dikenal sebagai gunung sedimen "sedimentary volcanoes" atau gunung minyak dan gas bumi "gas - oil volcanoes," juga merupakan keponakan dari gunung magmatik. Menyerupai seperti gunung magmatik, ia dapat menyembur dengan sangat kuat disertai kobaran api dengan ketinggian yang mencapai ratusan meter.
Ia juga dapat mengeluarkan jutaan meter kubik gas hidrokarbon dan jutaan ton lumpur.
Mud volcanoes juga berkembang pada dasar laut (seafloor of the sea) dan dapat membentuk pulau-pulau yang mengubah topografi dari garis pantai dan memicu gempabumi?
Ciri lainnya dari mud volcanoes adalah ia berhubungan langsung dengan lapangan migas (direct relationship to oil and gas fields). Mud volcanoes mencerminkan suatu sumur eksplorasi yang dalam arti ia merupakan indikator langsung (direct indicator) dari hidrokarbon pada kedalaman yang besar serta menyediakan informasi yang bernilai terhadap pembentukan dan migrasi dari migas (petroleum migration).
Keduanya mud volcanoes dan lapangan hidrokarbon (hydrocarbon field) sebagai hasil suatu proses tunggal dari pembentukan migas, dicirikan zona vertikal dengan pembentukan zona gas metan pada lapisan yang lebih muda. Menutupi suatu zona pembentukan migas yang intensif (which has a characteristic vertical zone with methane gas forming in younger strata, overlying a zone of intense formation of oil and fatty gases).
"Mud volcanoes," also known as "sedimentary volcanoes" or "gas - oil volcanoes," are close cousins to magmatic volcanoes. Just like magmatic volcanoes, they can erupt powerfully and hurl flames to great heights (sometimes even several hundred of meters). They spew out millions of cubic meters of hydrocarbon gases and tons of mud. Mud volcanoes also exist on the floor of the sea and can form islands and banks that alter the topography and shape of the coastline and even trigger earthquakes.
Another feature of mud volcanoes is their direct relationship to oil and gas fields. Mud volcanoes resemble super-deep exploration wells in the sense that they are direct indicators of hydrocarbons at great depths and provide valuable information on the formation and migration of oil and gas. Both mud volcanoes and hydrocarbon fields are the result of a single process of oil and gas formation, which has a characteristic vertical zone with methane gas forming in younger strata, overlying a zone of intense formation of oil and fatty gases.
Gambar : (Kiri) Ilmuwan memperlajari mud volcanoes untuk memahami bentuk kegiatan hidrokarbon di bawah permukaan bumi. Banyak mud volcanoes di Azerbaijan daripada di Negara lainnya . (Photo: Litvin) Kanan: Mud Gryphon. (Photo: Ronnie Gallagher)
Apa sebenarnya Mud volcanoes?
Mud Volcano adalah suatu saluran yang penting untuk melepaskan tekanan gas dan air mineral, kadang-kadang dengan jejak minyak. Bersama-sama dengan asosiasi dengan lumpur pada kedalaman yang besar sampai (812km) dan mengendapkan kembali di permukaan bumi (Earth surface) dimana ia membentuk punggungan (mounds) tinggi berkisar dari 5 sampai 500 m.
Dari kedua kenampakknya, ia mempunyai kesamaan dengan gunung berapi magmatik. Pelepasan semburan dari gas dikombinasikan dengan pembakaran gas hidrokarbon semakin mendekati kesamaannya.
Namun, tidak seperti pamannya magmatik, dimana membawa bubur batuan atau lava atau pada yang sangat tinggi di permukaan, maka semua mud volcanoes di Azerbaijan mempunyai
Gunung dicirikan oleh aktivitas yang konstan dari kubah (domes), gryphons atau kerucut (cones) dan cairan lumpur salses (pools).
Beberapa diantaranya bentuknya kering (dry in nature); lainnya basah (wet). Umumnya dia tidak membentuk suatu bentuk fisik seperti gunung yang jelas/tajam sebagaimana yang dibentuk oleh gunung magmatik.
Melainkan, ia hanya mengalir ke kawah pada dataran di sekitarnya. Ia bia mencapai puncak ketinggian sekitar 1020 m tapi dapat menyebar pada permukaan beberapa kilometer.
Mud volcanoes terbesar di dunia adalah Boyuk Khanizadagh Turaghai, keduanya berlokasi di Azerbaijan.
Karena lunaknya batuan, mud volcanoes pada kurun waktu geologi akan cepat mengalami pengikisan.
Mud volcanoes are essentially channels for releasing pressurized gas and mineral water, sometimes with traces of oil, together with associated mud from great depths (812km) and depositing them on the surface of the earth where they form mounds ranging from 5 to 500m high. In both appearance and behavior, they outwardly resemble a magmatic volcano. The explosive release of pent-up gases combined with the burning of hydrocarbon gases adds to this similarity. But, unlike their magmatic cousins, which carry molten rock or larva or enormous heat to the surface, mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan are at ambient temperature and may even be cool.
Volcanoes are characterized by a constant activity of domes, gryphons (cones) and salses (pools). Some are dry in nature; others, wet. Normally they don't form distinctive volcano shapes as magmatic volcanoes do. Rather, they just flow down into the surrounding plains. They often peak at about 1020 m but can spread across a surface of several kilometers. Among the largest mud volcanoes in the world are Boyuk Khanizadagh and Turaghai. Both are located in Azerbaijan.
Lumpur atau breksi akan tererosi oleh angin dan hujan kedalam sistem ngarai-ngarai (gulleys) dan punggungan di luar dari batas kawah.
Sebagai tambahan mud volcano sering berbentuk gua yang dalam, terkadang dengan lereng yang menawan. Dil aut. Mud volcanoes tentu saja akan tererosi dengan cepat oleh aksi gelombang.
Mud volcanoes terkadang dibentuk pada titik lemah dari permukaan bumi (at points of weakness in the Earth's crust), sepanjang bidang sesar (along fault lines).
Ia berasosiasi secara geologi dengan endapan sedimen yang muda dan terdapat gas organik (organic gas) dari endapan hidrokarbon.
Di seluruh dunia diketahui sekitar 700 mud volcanoes. Kira-kira tigaratus diantaranya ,terdapat di daerah timur dari Azerbaijan dan di Laut Kaspia (Caspian Sea).
Walaupun masih ada ketidaksepakatan tentang asal usul mud volcano (while there is some dispute about the origins of mud volcanoes). Namun secara umum para geologiawan sepakat pada beberapa aspek dari pembentukan dan aktivitasnya.
Semburan dapat terjadi ketika lumpur dan pasir diperas ke atas oleh daya seismik (Eruptions can occur when mud and sand are squeezed upwards by seismic forces).
Di sini daya gayaberat dan aksi pasang surut juga memainkan peran. Suatu pelepasan yang tiba-tiba atau ekspansi keatas gas tidak terlarutkan
Total gas yang disemburkan per tahun oleh seluruh gunung di Azerbaijan diperkirakan sebesar 20 juta meter persegi per tahunnya, namun volume gas terbesar yang dilepaskan ketika terjadi erupsi dari Turaghayi volcano tahun 1946. Berdasarkan ketinggian bunga api dan durasi beberapa lama, diperkirakan sebesar 500 juta meter kubik gas yang telah dilepaskan.
Because of the softness of the rock, mud volcanoes on a geological timescale are considered to be rather ephemeral. The mud or breccia quickly erodes with wind and rain into systems of gulleys and ridges fanning out from the crater margins. Indeed a tell-tale sign of a mud volcano is its deeply grooved and often very attractive flanks. Mud volcanoes in the sea, of course, erode quickly with wave action.
Mud volcanoes are often created at points of weakness in the Earth's crust, along fault lines. They are associated with geologically young sedimentary deposits and the presence of organic gas from hydrocarbon deposits. Worldwide there are some 700 known mud volcanoes. About 300 of them exist in Eastern region of Azerbaijan and in the Caspian Sea.
While there is some dispute about the origins of mud volcanoes, geologists generally agree on some of the aspects of the formation and activities. Eruptions can occur when mud and sand are squeezed upwards by seismic forces. Here gravitational forces and tidal action appear to play a role. The sudden release and upward expansion of dissolved gases may also play a key role.
The total annual volume of gas emitted by all the volcanoes in Azerbaijan is estimated at 20 million square meters per year however, the greatest volume of gas is released when major eruptions occur such as the Turaghayi volcano in 1946. Based upon the height of its flames and its duration which lasted several hours, an estimated 500 million
cubic meters of gas were released interval and is characterized by both active and extinct phases.
Kehidupan dari gunung membentang pada interval geologi dicirikan oleh kedua fase aktif dan fase mati.
Fase istirahat (Dormancy), yang terjadi antara semburan, mungkin mengambil tempat antara setiap tiga sampai empat tahun. Hal ini sebagaimana salah satunya pada mud volcano Lokbatan atau antara 80-90 tahun seperti Bozdagh.
Lebih 50 volcanoes telah mengerupsi di daerah timur Azerbaijan selama kurung waktu 200 tahun sejak masa istirahatnya.
Fakta bahwa erupsi mud volcano mengambil tempat di luar pusat kehidupan penduduk karena karena erupsinya tidak diharapkan dan berlangsung pada durasi yang pendek. Sehingga sangat jarang untuk dapat diamati dari saat awal lahirnya sampai akhir kehidupannya. Suatu kekecualian adalah di Lokbatan (Tentunya Lusi di Indonesia, Hardi).
Institut Geologi dari the Azerbaijan Academy of Science telah mempelajari mud volcanoes dan mendapatkan bahwa salah satunya Lokbatan terekam telah mengerupsi selama 20 kali sejak sejarahnya. Lokbatan mempunyai arti tempat dimana unta mengalami kemacetan 'place where the camel got stuck'. Lokbatan berlokasi 15 selatan dari Baku. Gunung ini erupsi kembali tahun 1977 dan lebih spektakuler pada 10 Oktober, 2001.
Sangat sulit dipercaya bahwa bola api, dapat mencapai ketinggian sampai 300m. Serta dikelilingi oleh asap pekat hitam dan banyak lumpur yang terlempar ke udara.
Api terbesar kira kira lima menit. Selanjutnya ada ledakan lainnya selanjutnya kobaran ali turun antara 10-30 meter.
Kobaran api dapat dilihat dari jarak 15 kilometer pada saat hari terjadinya ledakan, dan tiga hari kemudan gunung masih terbakar, tapi dengan tingkat berkurng.
Ukuran erupsi dan dampaknya bervarisi dan memainkan peran penting dalam pembentukan gunung.
Panjang dari aliran lumpur secara individu seperti Otmanbozdagh mencapai rata-rata 3km dan lebar 100 sampai 200m. Variasi perkiraan dari ukuran semburan telah dilakukan.
Sebagai contoh Y. Shegren menghitung bahwa semburan di Lokbatan tahun 1897 dengan onggokan mendekati kira-kira 200.000 meter kubik lumpur di permukaan bumir. Sama untuk gunung Turaghayi tahun 1947 endapan breksi diperkirakan sebesar 50.000 m3. Bila kuantitas lumpur tersebut sebagai rata-rata semburan, maka untuk membentuk gunung dengan ukuran Turaghayi memerlukan kira-kira 6.000 semburan. Dormancy, which occurs between eruptions, may take place every three or four years as the one at Lokbatan did or up to 80-90 years as with Bozdagh. Some 50 volcanoes have been erupting in the eastern region of Azerbaijan during the past 200 years since documents were kept.
The fact that mud volcano eruptions take place outside centers of population and because they erupt unexpectedly and are relatively short in duration, it's rare for them to be observed from beginning to end. An exception however was Lokbatan.
The Institute of Geology of the Azerbaijan Academy of Science has studied mud volcanoes and has discovered that the one at Lokbatan has erupted the most often - 20 times since its history has been recorded. Lokbatan means 'place where the camel got stuck'. It may well have been named after the twin humps at the crest of the hill, which give it a camel-like shape. Lokbatan is located 15 kilometers south of Baku. This mud volcano erupted in 1977 and again, even more spectacularly on October 10, 2001. Here are some of the eyewitness account as reported by BBC [Clare Doyle].
"There was a huge explosion, and a huge flame started coming from the hillside," said one witness. "It looked as though an animal was trying to emerge from the ground."
"The flame was unbelievably large - about 300 meters high. It was surrounded by dense, black smoke, and lots of mud was being thrown into the air."
"The largest flames burned for about five minutes. Then there was another huge explosion, and then the flames settled down to about 10 or 20 metres (32 or 65 feet) high."
The flames could easily be seen 15 kilometers away on the day of the explosion, and three days later the volcano was still burning, although at a much diminished rate.
In Spring 2001, volcanic activity in the Caspian Sea near the coast resulted in the formation of a new island which has since washed away by the perpetual pounding of waves against it.
The size of eruptions and their impact varies considerably and plays an important role in volcano formation. The length of the individual mud flows such as those at Otmanbozdagh reached 3km and averaged 100 to 200m in width. Various estimates of the size of eruptions have been made.
For example, Y. Shegren calculated that the eruption at Lokbatan in 1897 dumped approximately 200,000 cubic meters of mud material on the surface of the earth. Similarly, the Turaghayi volcano emitted some 50,000 m3 of breccia in 1947. If such a quantity of mud is typical of an average eruption, then the formation of the sizeable mountain at Turaghayi would have been required approximately 6,000 eruptions.
Are Mud Volcanoes Safe?
Fortunately mud volcanoes occur away from populated centers and don't usually result in disastrous consequences. However, cases have been known where they have caused serious damage and loss of life.
According to local residents, a volcanic eruption which took place in Bozdagh about 88 km northeast of Shamakhi resulted in the deaths of six shepherds who happened to be camping overnight in its crater. About 2,000 sheep in their flock were also killed.
There are legends surrounding the destruction of an entire settlement known as 'Old Gliady' from an eruption that took place in the 15th century.
An eruption on the island of Sangi-Mughan (Svinoi) in 1932 and the subsequent fireball that enveloped the entire island killed the lighthouse keeper, his family and some other local inhabitants.
Fortunately, such events are extremely rare, but the message is clear: Don't build too close to mud volcanoes. Such advice would have been well heeded by those who built too close to the edge of the Baku reservoir of Jeyranbatan which was destroyed by a mud flow in 2002.
It should be noted that Lokbatan is also an oil reservoir and the vicinity supports many State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) oil derricks which have been producing oil for more than 50 years.
While the intermittent eruptions don't seem to affect oil productivity, explosions and clastic missiles do pose an ongoing threat to surface facilities and equipment.
The gas condensate platform for Shah Deniz, one of BP's project, is located adjacent to an extinct subsea mud volcano. Geological studies have indicated that its proximity should not pose any significant risk.
Geologists describe mud volcanoes as capricious, and are still arguing about exactly how they are formed. Some believe they are created during the sedimentary process itself, while others argue that there are other influences at play as well, including seismic activity.
To the non-geologist, the explanations can seem, well, as "clear as mud". The arguments about their origins only add to the aura of mystery that surrounds these unusual and enigmatic phenomena.
Tourist itinerary
Azerbaijan's mud volcanoes definitely should be part of any tourist's itinerary.
So many of them are within close proximity to Baku, especially those at Alyat, Gobustan and other locations.
Mud volcanoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but those most common in Azerbaijan have several small cones, or vents.
These small cones are an amazing and even beautiful sight. They emit cold mud, water and gas. T
hey are often characterized by rude gurgling noises to the delight of children.
On hot summer days, the gryphons and salses provide them with hours of entertainment. (Suggestion: take plenty of clean clothes, plastic bags for muddy clothes, and your own supply of water to wash off afterwards.).
Chemically, volcanic mud is composed primarily of silica (5570 percent).
In addition, the mud has been found to contain quantities of curative properties (iodine, bromine, calcium, magnesium, organic acids and aromatic hydrocarbons - to name just a few).
As the mud solution has no significant toxic substances, it has been recommended as a curative agent for mud baths and use at spas.
Just as in the Russian towns of Feodosia and Kerch, there is potential for Azerbaijan to develop its own spas from this volcanic mud.
With the limited number of tourists that visit Azerbaijan today, the volcanoes are not under any serious threat.
However, with their distinctive 'lunar' landscape, scientific interest, tourist and spa potential, there is the possibility that one day too many tourists could lead to inevitable degradation and damage.
Mud volcanos are themselves unique monuments and need to be protected for future posterity. The process has already begun as 23 mud volcanoes were designated for protection last year.
To learn more about mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan or about joining the new Natural History Association, feel free to contact the author Ronnie Gallagher at Gallagher_ronnie@yahoo.co.uk. You may also contact Abbas Islamzov who resides in Baku at abbasislam@msn.com.