Mud volcano, Starunya

The Starunya mud volcano is a geological natural monument that is unique not only in Ukraine but also in the world. The volcano is located in the Carpathian region, in the village of Starunya, Bohorodchany district, Ivano-Frankivsk region. The emergence of this natural monument is associated with human activity.

More than a century ago, the development of oil and ozokerite deposits began in these places. Groundwater, saturated with oxygen, penetrated a thousand meters into the ground, oxidized the oil, resulting in an influx of thermal energy that still powers the volcano today. However, the volcano first made itself felt in 1977 after an earthquake in the Romanian Vranca Mountains. At that time, the first craters appeared on a hill with a diameter of about 50 meters, from which liquid, gas and mud spewed out 3 meters high.

At the moment, the volcano has 8 craters and 12 unstable small craters that emit gas, water, clay pulp, and sometimes oil and its components. The height of the volcano is 3 m, and the length of clay flows is 10-60 m. At the same time, the Starunsky mud volcano is very healing. Ozokerite, hot mud and high mineralization waters have valuable healing properties.

As for the hypotheses of the origin of this geological monument, the most common one is that the volcano was formed on an anticline fold (a convex structure with several faults in the earth's crust) and due to some physical and chemical processes occurring at a depth of 600-1000 m, mud and mineral water are erupted. Lead and zinc compounds are also formed here, and tectonic movements are manifested. In the first 7 years alone, the territory of the Starunsky mud volcano grew by 1 meter.

Despite the fact that excavation in this area began a long time ago, the volcano did not wake up immediately. It needed a push. It happened in 1977, during an earthquake in Romania, when mud and gases began to erupt from a three-meter crater. Since then, the mud in the crater has not stopped bubbling, and it reacts vigorously to any seismic activity, even very remote ones.

Features of the volcano

• The volcano in Starun looks like a mud stain that "breathes" through mini-craters. A total of 20 such craters have been recorded, which emit gas, clay, water, or oil. Only one of them is natural, the rest were formed due to the "efforts" of humans. The sound that accompanies the eruption process resembles the boiling of a kettle, and the mud that is released has a rich chemical composition.
• Another wonder of Staruni is the "eternal fire". This is not a volcanic crater, but the remnant of a gas pipe that was set on fire by locals to avoid excessive gas pollution. Since then, for 30 years, gas has been burning here constantly, in any weather.
• Near volcanoes, you should be careful not to get a jet of hot water or oil on your body and burn yourself.

You can get to Starunia by bus from Ivano-Frankivsk in the Bohorodchany direction, which runs from bus station #3. Buses depart three times a day - at 09:30, 13:30, and 17:30. To find the volcano, you need to look for a village school and a nearby store. From there, you should turn left at the second turn, then walk or drive to the field and look for high-voltage poles. The volcano is located near the pole #17.