Along the coast of Pakistan, the tectonic plate underlying the Arabian Sea is diving beneath the Eurasian continent. This process of subduction typically creates volcanoes, but the volcanoes that rise from this arid landscape are not the typical kind. Instead of lava, ash, and sulphur dioxide, these volcanoes spew mud and methane. On rare occasions, the gas plumes spontaneously ignite, shooting flames high into the sky. This natural-colour image shows the most dramatic group of mud volcanoes in the area, known as the Chandragup Complex.
Photograph: Ali/EO-1/Nasa
The Guardian
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