Mud volcano at Palo Seco (An indication of petroleum oil)

Abstract

This is a vintage photograph of a mud volcano, on the south-east coastline of Trinidad, at Palo Seco. Trinidad has many mud volcanoes the best known being at the Devil’s Woodyard in the village of Hindustan, near Princes Town. Mud volcanoes do not produce lava. They are often associated with petroleum deposits and tectonic subduction zones and can be violent. In 1997, a mud volcano erupted at Piparo, covering homes with mud that flew about 150 feet in the air. The mud volcano at the centre of this photograph has a mild surface upwelling of solid mud around its orifice that is conical or volcano-like in shape. The man standing next to it, helps us to gauge its actual height and size. In the background are large trees and mangrove forests.