There are over 300 known active onshore mud volcanoes globally, and many more offshore. Mud volcanoes are subsurface fluid escape features in which high pore pressures drive fluids, gases, and subsurface sediments to the surface. This talk will summarize mud volcanoes around the world and examine mud volcano plumbing systems and their link to petroleum systems.
There are over 300 known active onshore mud volcanoes globally, and many more offshore. Mud volcanoes are subsurface fluid escape features in which high pore pressures drive fluids, gases, and subsurface sediments to the surface. As such, mud volcanoes offer a unique window into the subsurface and can be used to aid in hydrocarbon exploration. However, mud volcanoes are also hazards that can erupt violently, causing damage, and even loss of life.
This talk will summarize mud volcanoes around the world, from South America to Europe and Asia. We will examine mud volcano plumbing systems and their link to petroleum systems. Additionally, this talk will look at the Sidoarjo disaster, which is the world’s largest human-made mud volcano. This disaster was triggered by a drilling blowout in 2006. It has resulted in the burial of seven square kilometers of a major Indonesian city, with an associated 40,000 people displaced and 23 dead.