An autonomous underwater robot deployed in Lake Baikal in Siberia captured video footage revealing previously unknown mud volcanoes and cracks associated with an active fault line. Specifically:
The robot discovered mud volcano scars and deformations in the lake sediment at depths of 340-540 feet in two locations along the northwestern shore.
These areas showed intensely fractured rock beds covered with clay and erupted deposits. Some locations contained small crater structures.
Notably, one site near Goryachinskaya Bay showed very recent mud eruption activity, indicating possible ongoing mud volcano activity.
The video footage from this site revealed layers of rock torn up and displaced by eruptions, with disturbed sediment and boulders “squeezed out” from below.
The nearby Severobaikalsk fault line is thought to be linked to this active mud volcanoism, with movements along the fault potentially fueling eruptions through the lake bottom.
This suggests the fault remains active and could pose seismic hazards, as large earthquakes have occurred in the region before along this structure.
The discoveries provide new insights into the subaquatic geological processes occurring in Lake Baikal, home to a unique ecosystem.
Source: livescience
