The Earth is constantly breaking, forming, and re-shaping around us. From natural disasters like earthquakes and floods to man-made events like global warming, our planet is in a constant state of metamorphosis.
And the public never fail to be astounded by, quite literally, ground-breaking developments. The latest comes after NASA satellites spotted a “ghost” island that has “emerged and shrunk” in less than a year following a volcanic eruption.
The isle emerged from the Caspian Sea after a mud volcano erupted in early 2023, according to NASA Earth Observatory. By the end of 2024, it had nearly eroded away, “retreating from view like an apparition”.
Powerful eruptions of the Kumani Bank mud volcano, located around 15 miles off the eastern coast of Azerbaijan, have produced similar transient islands many times since its first recorded eruption in 1861.
It’s known if the 2023 Kumani Bank eruption was fiery, but past eruptions of this and other nearby mud volcanoes have sent towers of flame hundreds of metres into the air.
NASA satellites captured these images showing the island emerging and shrinking. In November 2022, the crest of the volcano remained below the sea surface.
By February 14, 2023, an island had appeared, and a sediment plume drifted away from it. By the end of 2024 (right), a greatly diminished portion of Kumani Bank was visible above the water.
Kumani Bank has recorded eight previous eruptions which have produced islands of different sizes and longevities. The strongest eruption, in 1950, produced an island 700 meters (2,300 feet) across and six meters (20 feet) high.
Mud volcanoes range in size and are most commonly found in areas with active tectonics or high sedimentation rates. Eruptions can be dangerous as they can emit huge amounts of material, like flames, over a short period.
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