Eruptions of mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan and their correlation with strong earthquakes

Abstract

the patterns of eruptions of mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan over the recent two centuries are discussed. The average annual number of eruptions has remained approximately constant since 1946 and amounts to about 3.7 events per year. An assessment of the completeness of the eruption catalog is made, which, according to our calculations, is about 53%. The maximums and minimums of mud volcanic activity are repeated after certain time periods. According to the first estimates, the duration of these cycles is 15–20 years. The frequency of mud volcanic eruptions was analyzed. It is established that repeated eruptions usually occur after a relatively short time interval: within four years about 28 %, and within ten years about 52 % of eruptions. The correlations between eruptions and strong seismic events were analyzed. It is shown that earthquakes can be a trigger for mud volcanic eruptions. Potentially possible cases of response of mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan to earthquakes was identified. However, eruptions were observed only for a small percentage of these cases. At the same time, high activity of mud volcanoes was not always preceded by any strong earthquakes.