Salt tectonics and mud volcanism: their importance for the process of upward mass movement and relief formation

Abstract

Salt tectonics and mud volcanism move upward considerable masses within large regions of the Earth being important relief-forming f actors, More than a thousand of active salt structures have been found at the Caspian lowland, North German lowland, Gulf of Mexico basin. The salt stuctures are differently pronounced in the present-day topography (from inconsiderable elevations to real mountains up to hundreds of meters high).

Mud volcanoes are more restricted in their distribution, is some regions (such as Kerch-Taman region or SE Azerbaijan) they are one of leading morphogenetic factors. Mud breccia volume brought up at the surf ace by large mud volcanoes reaches hundreds of millions of cubic meters.

The salt tectonics act for longer time and more constantly, salt structures development continued throughout Mesozoic and Cenozoic while mud volcanoes activity is more typical for Pliocene - Quaternary.