Baiyanggou
Mud Volcanoes - John Seach
Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region
China
A group of
Chinese scientists announced on Tuesday that what they discovered last
September in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the China's largest mud
volcano group.
"Such a group
of active mud volcanoes is very rare in China," said Xiao Jiang, director
of the Wusu Tourist Bureau in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"Tourists coming
here will get a vivid knowledge about crustal movements and mud volcanoes."
The 36 volcanoes
were discovered last year by scientists studying the area.
Researchers
from the Xinjiang University found them oozing mud and seeping gas during
their study tour last September north of the Tianshan Mountains.The volcanoes
are in a 40,000-square- metre area at Baiyanggou Town, near Wusu.
"The maximum
volcano crater is 1.6 metres in diameter and the smallest one is only the
size of a bean," said Xiong Heigang, a professor with the School of Resources
and Environment Science at the Xinjiang University.
Volcanoes spewing
gas and mud differ greatly from traditional land volcanoes which spout
lava and ash, Xiong said.
The emission
from the mud volcanoes is greenish and brownish in colour.
"Petroleum
is found floating in some craters," Xiong said.
He said the
most active Wusu volcano erupts more than once every second.Others are
less active.
The temperature
of emissions is between 15 C and 25 C.
Geologists
believe Wusu's volcanoes were formed about 1 million years ago when sand
and mud beneath the surface was squeezed upwards by compressive forces
and expelled at the surface.
Experts believe
mud volcanoes often form and dissolve repeatedly underground but rarely
break through the earth's surface.
Mud volcanoes
are most often found in regions of the world rich in oil and natural gas.
Mud volcanoes
have only been discovered in a few countries,like the United States, Mexico
and New Zealand.
Wusu Tourist
Bureau is considering a comprehensive plan to protect and promote the rare
volcanoes. |
    
Baiyanggou Mud Volcanoes
www.volcanolive.com
Copyright John Seach
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