Earth:Mudpot

Short description: Hot spring, or fumarole, with limited water

File:Mudpot at Lassen Volcanic National Park in August 2019.webm

Mudpots lined up above a volcanic fissure at Hverarönd, Iceland

A mudpot, or mud pool, is a type of acidic hot spring, or fumarole, with limited water. It usually takes the form of a pool of bubbling mud, as a result of the acid and microorganisms decomposing surrounding rock into clay and mud.

Description

The mud of a mudpot takes the form of a viscous, often bubbling, slurry. As the boiling mud is often squirted over the brims of the mudpot, a form resembling a mini-volcano of mud starts to build up, sometimes reaching heights of 1 to 1.5 meters.^[1] Although mudpots are often called "mud volcanoes", true mud volcanoes are very different in nature. The mud of a mudpot is generally of white to greyish color, but is sometimes stained with reddish or pink spots from iron compounds. When the slurry is particularly colorful, the feature may be referred to as a paint pot.^[2]

Geology

Mudpots form in high-temperature geothermal areas where water is in short supply. The little water that is available rises to the surface at a spot where the soil is rich in volcanic ash, clay, and other fine particulates. The thickness of the mud usually changes along with seasonal changes in the water table.^[3]^[4]

Notable sites

The geothermal areas of Yellowstone National Park contain several notable examples of both mudpots and paint pots, as do some areas of Azerbaijan, Iceland, New Zealand and Nicaragua.

Several locations in and around the Salton Sea in California are also home to active mudpots,^[5] including the moving Niland Geyser.^[6]^[7] In the case of Niland Geyser, its name is somewhat of a misnomer, as the release of carbon dioxide by seismic activity from the nearby San Andreas Fault is responsible for its behaviour, rather than through geothermal activity. The fluid contained within it is near background temperature rather than boiling, measuring around 80 °F (27 °C).^[8]

Photo gallery

A large boiling mudpot in the parking area of West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone
Fountain Paint Pots, Yellowstone National Park
Mudpot in Bumpas hell, Lassen Volcanic National Park
Mudpot in Yellowstone National Park
Mudpot at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Short video of mud pool activity near Waiotapu, New Zealand
The surface of a boiling mudpot in the crater of Solfatara, part of the Campi Flegrei complex, Italy
Video of mud pool at Orakei Korako, New Zealand
Erupting mudpot at Hverir, Iceland
A mud pot in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming