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Mud Volcanoes of Trinidad

Make your own erupting Volcanoes at bottom of page

In 1997, a mud volcano erupted in the central Trinidad farming village of Piparo, covering homes with mud that flew as high as 150 feet in the air. The sound of rumbling and the shaking of the earth alerted residents before the eruption, and they all managed to escape from their houses before the mud spilled out onto the village, crushing roofs and forming a thick blanket of dirt over all structures. Luckily no one was killed.
Three houses, Fifteen cars, four pick-up vans, some 15 cattle, 13 goats, scores of poultry and pets were buried under tons of gaseous grey mud which spewed some 150 to 200 feet into the air when the volcano blew.
The early morning eruption sent residents screaming and scampering in panic from the tumbling grey mud which pulled down electricity poles, telephone wires, ripped apart pipe lines and knocked down huge trees. Tombstones in the Piparo Cemetery tilted and fissures erupted along the road for more than mile. Eleven other houses were partially submerged under the mud and several others badly damaged by the tremors which accompanied the eruption. More than 300 people within a one-mile radius of the volcano were. Thirty-one families were displaced by the eruption .

Mud Volcano onshore Trinidad
There are many mud volcanoes in Trinidad near oil reserves in southern parts of the island of Trinidad.
These include:
The Devils Woodyard mud volcano near Hindustan
The Moruga Bouffe mud volcano near Moruga
The Piparo mud volcano
The Chatham mud volcano located underwater in the Columbus Channel; this mud volcano periodically produces a short-lived island.

Mud Volcano offshore Trinidad:
Residents of Chatham, a small village on the southern coast of Trinidad, awoke May 11 2001 to see a new island about a mile and a half offshore, in the Columbus Channel. A mud volcano on the floor of the Columbus Channel formed the 16-foot wide piece of land. Although these types of underwater formations are usually harmless, experts are warning people to avoid the tiny island, because it has the potential to emit toxic gasses or explode.
This is the fourth time in 90 years that a mud volcano has spawned an island in that vicinity. The first was 1911, when an island emerged amid an explosion and flames, rising about 12 feet above sea level. The event caused fear and panic among local villagers, and some reportedly fled the region.
In 1928, an island emerged again, also accompanied by gas explosions, and disappeared within a few weeks. Seismic Research Unit records show that the largest version of the recurring island appeared in 1964, when a 10.5-acre land mass formed over several days, ultimately rising 25 feet above sea level. After it was fully formed, a rumbling sound could be heard, and the mud island began to emit a dry, odorless gas. Scientists tested the gas and found that it was a combination of methane, carbon dioxide and ethane. The island slowly eroded and was eventually washed away by the sea about eight months later — not to reappear for another 37 years.

Mud volcanoes - which come in different sizes, from knee high to as big as a mountain - are often shaped like normal volcanoes, but instead of lava they expel a mixture of mud, rocks and gasses. Most of the time they just bubble away gently, but they can be dangerous. When a mud volcano ejects large amounts of gas suddenly, there is a risk of asphyxiation for humans and animals in the immediate vicinity. The gas plume can also catch fire. Luckily most mud volcanoes are found on the sea floor where they cause little harm.
But what causes mud volcanoes? they can be seen as open pressure valves in the earth's crust. The tectonic plates which form the surface of our planet rub together all the time. As a result they produce large amount of debris in the form of sediment. This sediment builds up on the crack between two plates and gradually increases the pressure beneath it. At some point the pressure becomes so great that gas, water and sand is pushed out; a mud volcano is born.
Gas Release:
Of course mud volcanoes have been around since the dawn of time, so you may well ask what the fuss is about, but there is a catch. We humans can make mud volcanoes accidentally. If, while searching for oil or gas, a hole is drilled in the crack between tectonic plates, the bore hole can collapse, resulting in a ragged opening that's hard or even impossible to close again. In such a case huge amounts of methane can suddenly enter the atmosphere. There is no telling what effect that may have on our climate, and, because mud volcanoes are a good indicator of the presence of oil and gas, simply not drilling in such areas is not an option.

To get to the centre of the mud volcano you have to pick your way across the expanse of mud, trying to stick to the drying patches. Near the volcano's two vents, someone has planted two long sticks which you can see from a distance and aim for. One false step and you sink a foot deep, and get out again only with great effort. Here and there you can step on pieces of board and galvanise which have been laid on the mud. At last you come to the vents, holes in the mud where gas bubbles up through small pools of water with the sound of a boiling cauldron. Thin streaks of oil float on the water. Put your hand into the hole and the water is cool. The mud in the hole is grey and feels like wet, sticky plasticine, with the occasional black stone in it. The gas has no odour but the mud has a faint petroleum smell, like kerosine. Far away to the south are Tableland, Princes Town - and Devil's Woodyard, site of Trinidad's most famous mud volcanoes.

Make your own erupting Volcanoes of the Caribbean

In a real volcano, molten rock from deep within the Earth erupts through a volcano (the molten rock is called magma when it is within the Earth and is called lava when it comes out of a volcano).

Warning: Be careful when handling ingredients.
Children should be supervised by an adult.
Ingredients should be kept away from the eyes.

Supplies:

Old plate or baking pan or paper plate
Lots of old newspaper
Baking soda (about 3-4 tablespoons)
Vinegar (about 1/2 cup)
A few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent
Small plastic bottle (like a small pop bottle)
Modeling clay(Play Dough)
Funnel
Measuring spoon and measuring cup
Red and yellow food coloring
Glitter (optional)

Your volcano can be made more realistic by enclosing the bottle in a home made play dough.
Mix 6 cups of flour, 2 cups of salt, 4 tablespoons of cooking oil, and 2 cups of water in a large bowl.

Mix the ingredients by hand until smooth and firm. Add more water to make the mixture if necessary.
Build up the mixture around the drink bottle to create the mountain.
Lava channels and vegetation can be built around the volcano. Using the modeling clay, make a volcano around the bottle. Leave the area around the top of the bottle open and don't get any clay inside the bottle.

You can decorate the volcano with little twigs, lichens (that look like tiny trees), etc.

1/Put the clean, empty bottle on the plate or baking pan or paper plate.
2/Using the funnel (make sure it's dry), put 3 to 4 tablespoons of baking soda into the bottle.
3/The add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent and about a half cup of water. Optional: add a little bit of glitter (about half a teaspoon).
4/Put a few drops of red food coloring into about one-half of a cup of vinegar.

The Eruption
5/ Using the funnel, pour the vinegar mixture into the bottle (then quickly remove the funnel and jump back).

Your volcano will erupt immediately!

Be prepared for a mess and clean it up!

This happens because of the baking soda and vinegar mixture. Mixing baking soda and vinegar produces a chemical reaction (a chemical reaction is a process in which one substance is chemically converted to another - all chemical reactions involve the formation or destruction of bonds between atoms) in which carbon dioxide gas is created - the same gas that bubbles in a real volcano. The gas bubbles build in the bottle, forcing the liquid 'lava' mixture of the bottle and down the sides of your volcano

The exact reaction is:

HC₂H₃O₂ (vinegar = acetic acid) + NaHCO₃ (baking soda = sodium bicarbonite) = CO₂ (carbon dioxide gas) + NaC₂H₃O₂(sodium acetate) + H₂O (water)

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