Alright, as per Robin's request, I am posting/sharing a post I made in another thread here on ATS. That other thread, to be specific is here:
Critical New Quake Could Mean Impending Disaster For Japan
Now here is my post from that thread:
TA ... I just discovered something that has me seriously on edge. I know this thread is about Japan and the potential for another disasterous
earthquake, but I feel there is a connection here, with my discovery. Adding to that, I really value your research and opinions. So please allow me to
share and please provide back any and all feedback, including thoughts, instincts, etc.
Ok... we know that with this Japan megaquake, along with the ridiculous amount of aftershocks, the subducting of tectonics plates is in full force
here. Science backs that up as well.
Subduction zones is the key here in what I just researched and discovered.
I've been reading a lot lately about "mud volcanos". I really didn't understand them so I did some research.
Wikipedia Source
The terms mud volcano or mud dome are used to refer to formations created by geo-excreted liquids and gases, although there are several different
processes which may cause such activity. Hot water mixes with mud and surface deposits. Mud volcanoes are associated with subduction zones and about
700 have been identified. Temperatures are much cooler in these processes than found at igneous volcanoes. The largest mud volcano structures are 10
kilometres (6.2 mi) in diameter and reach 700 metres (2,300 ft) in height.
So I continue reading down the page and hit the location areas of the known mud volcanos. This is where my jaw dropped and hit the floor.
An unnamed mud volcano 30 metres (98 ft) high and with a top about 100 metres (328 ft) wide, 24 kilometres (15 mi) off Redondo Beach, California,
and 800 metres (2,620 ft) under the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
Remember the "millions of dead fish" last week? Tuesday, March 8, 2011 to be exact? That all happened right there, in Redondo Beach!!!!!!!!
L.A. Times - Millions Of
Dead Fish
Obviously, all of these fish died right over the subduction zone. We all know what happened in Japan 3 days later. But now I'm wondering if
California is going to be struck next. And if so, how soon???
Now to add to that, as Robin asked for more information on the 2005 eruption of the Azerbaijan mud volcanoes, here is some info for you:
Azerbaijan and its Caspian coastline are home to nearly 400 mud volcanoes, more than half the total throughout the continents. In 2001, one mud
volcano 15 kilometres (9 mi) from Baku made world headlines when it suddenly started ejecting flames 15 metres (49 ft) high.
In Azerbaijan, eruptions are driven from a deep mud reservoir which is connected to the surface even during dormant periods, when seeping water still
shows a deep origin. Seeps have temperatures up to 2 °C (3.6 °F) - 3 °C (5.4 °F) above the ambient temperature.
Wikipedia Source
Here is an article from the USGS about mud volcanoes:
USGS - The Dirty Truth About Mud Volcanoes
And here is an article about the correlations between earthquakes and large mud volcanos. From the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at
UCSD:
University of California at San Diego Article