Discover the Mysterious ‘Ghost Island’: A Stunning Underwater Eruption Reveals and Vanishes in the Caspian Sea — Aerial Views from Space

Recently, satellite images captured the fascinating rise and fall of a “ghost island” near Kumani Bank in the Caspian Sea. This temporary landmass appeared after a mud volcano erupted about 15 miles off Azerbaijan’s east coast.

The island materialized on February 4, 2023, measuring approximately 1,300 feet across. Sadly, by December 2024, the island had nearly vanished. Earth Observatory experts noted its swift erosion was like witnessing an illusion fade away.

Kumani Bank has seen eight eruptions since 1861. Each eruption usually lasts a few days, leading to the formation of temporary islands. For instance, a strong eruption in 1950 created a massive island measuring 2,300 feet wide and standing 20 feet above sea level.

Azerbaijan is unique. It has over 300 mud volcanoes due to its location atop the colliding Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates. These volcanoes erupt, releasing a mixture of mud and water, not lava. Although mud volcanoes are less destructive than traditional ones, they can still spur fiery explosions if pressurized gas ignites. In 2021, one such eruption caused a fireball hundreds of feet high.

Interestingly, mud volcanoes aren’t the only ones that can create temporary islands. In 2015, a volcano near Tonga formed a sizable island, only for it to be obliterated by another eruption in January 2022. Researchers believe this massive blast may have wiped out unseen microbial species unique to the newly formed land.

In October 2023, a different volcanic event off Japan’s Iwo Jima island created another brief island called Niijima. This island was visible from space at about 330 feet wide and 66 feet tall, but it started disappearing by March 2024. Drone footage showed its rapid decline, despite ongoing volcanic activity.

The quickly appearing and disappearing islands remind us of nature’s power. As scientists study these phenomena, they gain insights into our planet’s dynamic systems and the impact of geological events. With so many mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan, the region remains a hotspot for geological activities worth watching.

For stunning images of Earth from space, head over to NASA’s Earth Observatory [here](https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/153799/satellites-spot-a-ghost-island).

To learn more about volcanic activity and its implications, the U.S. Geological Survey provides extensive resources and data [here](https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/volcano-hazards).

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