Mud volcano erupts near temple in Pingtung

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) A mud volcano erupted without warning near a temple in Pingtung County on Monday morning, spewing sludge more than 1 meter into the air from two vents.

The eruption, the second this year, occurred at around 8 a.m. near Huang Yuan temple in Wannei Village, with the mud spurting from two vents about 50 meters apart, according to village chief Chen Yu-yi (陳玉意).

Some nearby farmlands were covered in mud, but there was no crop damage, because the fields are currently lying fallow, Chen told CNA.

An excavator was used to divert the mud flow and prevent it from spreading further over the farmlands, Chen said.

According to the Pingtung County government, mud volcano eruptions are a rare geological phenomena that occur when underground high-pressure gases such as methane push groundwater through dissolved mudstone, forcing mud to the surface through cracks.

The volcanoes can range in size from a few meters to several kilometers, with eruptions reaching heights of several hundred meters, the county government said.

Since 1988, the mud volcanoes in Wannei Village have erupted at least once a year, according to the county's records.