The muddy clods of earth, colder than ice, gurgle and boil underground; then, through numerous opened mouths, scattered all over the valley, they bubble upwards, bursting out either at a very low or at a higher distance… Alexandru Odobescu

Not far from Buzau (online map: cca 30 km), in Berca-Arbanasi, this vision from another world becomes reality. The Muddy Volcanoes wait for your visit in the heart of a mud-spattered landscape, filling up the air with emanations that smell like oil and salt. The road to their kingdom winds among dry hills – not much grows here as the land is rich in salt and the conditions are proper only for some rare plants (which grow solely in this region) like Nitraria schoberi and Obione verrucifera.

The volcanoes are not extremely high (the highest are probably 5-6 meters) and they are not toxic.

In other European countries Italy (northern Apennines and Sicily), Ukraine (in the Kerch Peninsula), as well as Azerbaijan (the largest number of muddy volcanoes) mud volcanoes can erupt higher, but in Berca-Arbanasi it’s safe to go in their vicinity and it’s even safe to play with the mud.

Photo courtesy Loredana L.

There are two formations of volcanoes, not far from each other: Paclele Mari and Paclele Mici. You’ll first arrive (driving) at Paclele Mici and if you want to see more, you need to hike to Paclale Mari.

The Berca Muddy Volcanoes are rarely visited by local villagers – as they believe the place is cursed by evil and malefic spirits. The Muddy Volcanoes are also called “the gates of hell”. Sure the fear of unexplained leaves room for many odd beliefs. Tourists are also rare, but not because the place is “haunted.” The relatively low number of tourists has more to do with the roads’ accessibility – you’ll need a Jeep or something similar to drive there. Other cars will probably give you a hard time.

Photo courtesy Deea.

“Mud volcanoes,” also known as “sedimentary volcanoes” or “gas – oil volcanoes,” are close cousins to magmatic volcanoes. Just like magmatic volcanoes, they can erupt powerfully and hurl flames to great heights (sometimes even several hundred of meters). They spew out millions of cubic meters of hydrocarbon gases and tons of mud. Mud volcanoes also exist on the floor of the sea and can form islands and banks that alter the topography and shape of the coastline and even trigger earthquakes.

Another feature of mud volcanoes is their direct relationship to oil and gas fields. Mud volcanoes resemble super-deep exploration wells in the sense that they are direct indicators of hydrocarbons at great depths and provide valuable information on the formation and migration of oil and gas. – Source.

At the Gates of Hell is a post from: Rounite