Mud Volcanoes and Human Geoscience

Abstract

Mud volcanoes are topographic mounts generated by eruption materials that have risen from deep underground because of abnormal groundwater pressure resulting from the dehydration of clay minerals. The activity of the Lusi mud volcano in Indonesia in 2006 caused serious damage to infrastructure and loss of life. Therefore, understanding the activity of mud volcanoes and the relationship between the geological conditions and the location, timing, and mode of mud volcanism is important. Geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies on mud volcanoes in Japan and Taiwan have shown that the location of mud volcanism, the mode of activity, and the rise of highly saline groundwater are strongly affected by geological structures. In this chapter, we describe onshore mud volcanoes in Japan and Taiwan, and give an overview of mud volcanoes and mud volcanism. We then discuss the effects of mud volcanism on human life and the natural environment and note that mud volcanoes and their relationship to underground geological structures should be considered when siting and assessing critical infrastructure.