Mud Volcanoes
Cold cones of bubbling clay born of gas from the depths of the earth: Azerbaijan has more of them than any other country in the world — nearly half of all on the planet.
A land that breathes gas and clay
A mud volcano is not a fiery mountain but a cold cone from which grey clay oozes, bubbling. It is pushed up not by magma but by gas — mostly methane, rising from the depths of the earth together with water and softened rock. Where there is oil and gas underground, mud volcanoes are born too.
Azerbaijan is the world capital of this phenomenon. On its land and on the floor of the Caspian some 350–400 mud volcanoes are counted — nearly half of all on the planet. Some are tiny, the size of a palm; others are whole mountains; some quietly bubble for centuries, others erupt in columns of flame. This site is about them.
A wonder in numbers
Here the earth bubbles, breathes and bursts into flame — like a piece of another planet left in the middle of Azerbaijan.
A piece of another planet
The fields of mud volcanoes look unearthly: grey cones, cracked clay, the bubbling and hissing of gas underfoot. Scientists study them as an earthly analogue of Mars — and indeed, among these lunar hills it is easy to forget that you are still on Earth.
How they workThis site is cultural and educational. Most of the photographs are authentic; a few atmospheric images (a night eruption, an aerial view) were created with AI. Figures and dates are given from available sources.