410 On Mud Volcanoes and Salt Lakes in the Crimea. 



places there are no volcanoes,, but abundant stores of basalt 

 and other igneous rock. But the main point for consideration 

 is the fact that along the whole space between the north and 

 south axis, as marked by the presence of lofty mountain chains, 

 and principally towards the northern of the two chains, vol- 

 canic eruptions of comparatively modern date have taken place, 

 while on the other hand there are but few and slight indica- 

 tions of this kind in the great plains to the north or south of 

 the lines of elevation. 



While active volcanoes are comparatively rare within the 

 great area here alluded to, there is no want of an inferior kind 

 of activity, proving that at a very moderate depth below the 

 surface there are still many connecting links, though perhaps 

 of a somewhat obscure kind. Earthquakes may be regarded 

 as among these links, but mud volcanoes are the most manifest 

 and direct. Sulphur springs or springs of water charged 

 with sulphur, and sulphuretted hydrogen gas, and petroleum 

 springs, are, at least in certain districts, common phenomena. 

 Salt lakes under certain circumstances afford similar indications. 



Most mud volcanoes, whose history is at all complete, may 

 be traced back to an origin essentially volcanic, although at 

 the present time the eruption may consist only of mud, at a 

 temperature considerably below the mean temperature at the 

 surface. And this history is not old. Thus in Java, in Peru, 

 and on the shores of the Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azof, either 

 within the present century, or at least within less than a century 

 from the present time, there have been eruptions of boiling 

 mud, accompanied by flame blazing up to a great height and 

 visible at a great distance. It is said that large fragments of 

 rock have been ejected from such craters, and it is certain that 

 many gases and great volumes of gas issue forth. At present 

 there are only cones erupting cold mud, gases, and water. 



The distribution of these phenomena is by*iio means irre- 

 gular. They may be traced aloug an unbroken line of fifteen 

 hundred miles from east to west, and they re-appear at intervals 

 to the west, always on or near the direction of the same line. 

 They are also near enough to volcanic phenomena of the ordi- 

 nary kind to justify the belief that they are very intimately 

 related to them. It has appeared from recent investigations 

 that they are also near and have much relation with important 

 springs of naphtha or petroleum, a product so important at 

 the present day as to justify any amount of investigation that 

 may seem likely to add to the general stock of knowledge and 

 facilitate discovery in this matter. 



The mud volcanoes that break out in the peninsula of 

 Kertch, and are continued eastward through the peninsula of 

 Taman, belong to an exceedingly remarkable line of volcanic 



