Ninh Thuận: Mud erupts not related to earthquakes

Geological experts confirmed that the eruption mud phenomenon in Ninh Thuan is a completely normal geological phenomenon and not related to earthquakes.

For more than a month, people in Loi Hai commune (Thuan Bac district, Ninh Thuan) appear strange mounds on rice fields. From these mounds, the mud was extruded, the largest eruption point was about 2m ^{2 in} diameter.

Along with the terrible earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, the eruption mud phenomenon in Ninh Thuan has caused people to ask questions: Is there a natural disaster in Vietnam, especially when the sludge eruptions? Not far from the area planned to build a nuclear power plant.

Eruption mud in Ninh Thuan.

However, recently, in response to the press, Dr. Doan Dinh Lam, Head of Sediment (Geological Institute, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) said that this is only a phenomenon of mud volcano, a phenomenon geology is completely normal.

Dr. Lam said, usually, there are gas deposits in the underground. These airbags grow bigger and at some point once the barrier is weakened, these airbags can go up. When a gas stream goes up, meets a weakened geologic layer or mud bag, it will penetrate that soil layer to go to the surface. On the way, if it encounters the muddy mud, it will bring that mud layer up. In this phenomenon of phenomena is called mud volcano (mud volcano).

In terms of mechanism, the phenomenon of mud eruption is classified as volcanic because the same is erupting on the ground, but in essence is not like the real volcano (volcano). In particular, the actual volcanic eruption of molten lava on the ground and originated very deep in the earth. Mud volcanoes do not spray molten lava but spray mud with low temperature and they are of shallow origin.

Dr. Lam also affirmed that the phenomenon of mud volcano completely ' has nothing to do with earthquakes '. Therefore, it absolutely does not pose a danger to nuclear power plants in Ninh Thuan.

However, because the mud volcano is related to the fault zone in the earth's crust, it is also necessary to properly assess tectonic activity, especially modern construction in the area of ​​nuclear power plants and surrounding. From there, assess the level of risk and serve as a basis for designing the foundation of the plant.