What are Mud Volcanoes? | Mud Volcanoes vs Regular Volcanoes

India’s only mud volcano at Baratang Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has erupted after more than 20 years, creating an earth mound and spreading muddy soil across a large area.

Baratang is located in the North and Middle Andaman district, and it is nearly 150 km away from Port Blair.

About Mud Volcanoes

Mud volcanoes, also called ‘Mud Domes,’ are formed by the eruption of mud slurries, water, and gases involving series of geological processes.
The temperatures of mud volcanoes are also usually lower than those of real ingenious volcanoes.
They do not involve lava or magma. Some remain constantly active, while others experience periodic bursts. Despite lower explosiveness, they can trigger fires.
They are often found near areas of tectonic activity, such as subduction zones, and can be found on land or under the ocean. Mud volcanoes are often associated with the release of methane gas, CO₂, nitrogen, and other hydrocarbons, and can also be a source of minerals and rare earth elements.
The sizes of mud volcanoes lie between one and two meters to 700 meters high and between one and two meters to 10 kilometers wide.

Hydrocarbon gases like methane may ignite naturally from surface heat or deliberately by human action, e.g., Wandan volcano flames resulted from locals burning ejected methane gas after eruptions.
Gas movement through fractures may ignite due to friction between rocks.
Electrical discharges from gas clouds can ignite flammable methane plumes.

Cold Mud Volcanoes: These emit cool mud and gases and do not involve geothermal heating.
Hot Mud Volcanoes: They cause warmer emissions, linked to subduction zones & geothermal activity.
Island Mud Volcanoes: These emerge offshore and may form temporary mud islands.
Onshore Cone Domes: They have dome-shaped mud features common in petroleum-rich sedimentary basins.

Aspect	Traditional Volcano	Mud Volcano
Composition	Erupts molten rock (magma).	Erupts fluids and sediments (water, gas, mud).
Eruption Material	Lava, ash, and volcanic gases.	Mud, water, and gases (e.g. methane).
Eruption Style	Often explosive, with violent eruptions.	Typically gentle, with slow oozing of materials.
Explosiveness	High pressure, explosive eruptions.	Low pressure, less violent eruptions.
Heat Source	Driven by intense heat from mantle-derived magma.	Driven by surface and crustal gas activity; little to no magma involved.
Geological Depth	Originates deep in the Earth's crust or upper mantle.	Shallow surface phenomenon.
Hazard Potential	Severe — can cause lava flows, pyroclastic surges, and widespread damage.	Moderate — risk of fires (from gas), land subsidence, and structural damage.
Location	Found at mid-ocean ridges, hotspots, subduction zones.	Found in tectonically active regions (e.g. subduction and collision zones).