Muddy Volcanoes Berca Buzau Romania

Muddy volcanoes Berca (own photo)

Exploring the amazing Romanian Muddy Volcanoes from Berca, Buzau (Vulcanii noroiosi de la Berca, Buzau, Romania)

If you love nature, geology, spectacular landscapes and challenging the unknown in real (not seeing them from the airplane, watching documentaries on TV from your comfortable coach or browsing your friends' photos posted on Facebook :) ), you may enjoy such experience - mud volcano - in Romania and explore it while getting off the beaten tracks, going out and around at your own peace.

So, one of the most spectacular and unique natural sites in Romania (and Europe) are the Mud Volcanoes - Vulcanii Noroiosi - from Berca, Buzau area - a "piece of world" with an unusual shape, similar to lunar landscapes, that none traveler should miss.

The natural beauty of Romanian Berca Muddy Volcanoes - the Little Mud Volcanoes and The Big Mud Volcanoes - will simply fascinate you.

"Volcanoes are one way Earth gives birth to itself." - Robert Gross

Muddy Volcanoes Buzau (own photo)

Have you ever seen a Muddy Volcano?
Few words about the Mud Volcanoes from Berca

Romanian Muddy Volcanoes from Berca and Paclele Mari, Buzau

The Muddy Volcanoes from Berca and Paclele Mari are a spectacular place and unique natural wonder, with sort of lunar landscape aspect, located in the Buzau mountains, and with less powerful geological reaction (eventually, as one may expect).

These spectacular moonscape mud volcanoes from Berca, Buzau county, have the same structure as the real volcanoes, occurring in similar processes, are generated by the eruption of mud, water and natural gases, are not very high (~ 6m), but with important value, being both, a geological and a botanical natural reservation.

The entire site here is impressive for the viewer, offering a large palette of “Earth colors”: black, brown, gray and greenish… sienna and chocolate borders on top of craters, white crusts of crystallized salt and stripes of yellow sulphur mud.

Muddy Volcano Berca Buzau Romania
The geological phenomenon that created Berca Mud Volcanoes Buzau Romania
Mud volcanoes are created by eruptions of gases and liquids from inside the Earth, processed at a lower temperature that in usual active volcanoes, sending out the surface mix deposits of water (eventually salty or acidic), mud and gases (mostly methane, carbon dioxide and nitrogen),

“Mud volcanoes are often associated with petroleum deposits and tectonic subduction zones and orogenic belts; hydrocarbon gases are often erupted.” — cited from Wikipedia/ Mud volcano

Muddy Volcanoes Buzau (Photo source: Travel Planner)

In Romania, The Muddy Volcanoes from Berca, is an unique reservation.

Similar geological phenomena can be found in few others European countries:
- Italy (Northern Apennines and Sicily),
- Ukraine (Kerch Peninsula),
As well as in:
- Russia (Taman Peninsula),
- Azerbaijan.
Just backpack and enjoy your trip to feel and sense a mud volcano!

Fauna and flora around Mud Volcanoes in Romania
Around Mud Volcanoes usually is hot (especially during summer, when temperature is about 40′C), a permanent bubbling mud that makes the soil very arid and salty.
In this desert-like landscape, the vegetation is poor and seldom, so only very few flowers or plants could be seen over this place, the “survivors” being Nitraria schoberi and Obione verrucifera.

The absence of vegetation around the cones creates a different aspect around muddy volcanoes, offering to the viewer a lunar alandscape.
This phenomenon can be noticed in two separate places nearby Berca – the Little Mud Volcano and The Big Mud Volcano.

"Volcanoes are part of the universal order" - John Kennedy

Volcanoes form no exception to the principles of universal order. They may appear to be physical flaws, and to assume the character of accidents. The devastation which they have produced lead men to regard them very naturally as evils. But two things are certain. They arrive from the operation of natural causes which, however secret, hidden, and difficult of discovery, science may approach with a firm conviction that they are within its domain. And they subserve important and beneficent ends, some of which are already well understood.
John Kennedy, Volcanoes: Their History, Phenomena, and Causes (London: Religious Tract Society, 1852), pp. 7-8.

Source: The Daily Volcano Quote: volcanoes are part of the universal order

IMPORTANT!
While visiting the Muddy Volcanoes you'll need:
- cameras,
- a bottle of water (in case you get thirsty while tramping around),
- and considering that these are really muddy : )... better take proper shoes (sturdy shoes or tightly fastened sport sandals - in summer) that allows you to walk without suffering, then scrub-down.

Aerial view - Mud Volcanoes - Paclele Mari, Buzau, Romania

Vulcanii noroiosi din Paclele Mari, Buzau, Romania - perspectiva aeriana
Muddy Volcanoes - Vulcanii noroiosi de la Berca Buzau

The cosmetic use of Volcano Mud
The volcanic black mud is used successfully in cosmetic treatments and products. The most known being:
- green volcanic mud, red volcanic mud,
- hair scalp volcanic mud hair mask,
- molding mud (with various fragrances),
- mud mask face mask,
- natural volcanic mud soap,
- plant fiber volcanic mud sponges,
- rich detox body mask,
- volcanic black mud crystal purifying facial mask whitening mud (firming and nourishing),
- volcanic magma mud mask,
- volcano mud detoxifying mask,
- volcanic mud oil-controlling facial mud,
- volcanic mud body beauty skin care cream,
- volcanic pore clay mask,
- volcanic spa mud mask.

When buying cosmetic products make sure they contain as much possible natural elements, are non-allergenic, fresh and enough time till they’ll expire, have references from various customers.