Vanishing act: Caspian Sea island defies the odds again
A mysterious island suddenly emerged on the surface of the Caspian Sea, only to disappear again in less than two years. Thanks to NASA images, experts noticed it.
Science Alert reports that the island appeared in January 2023 on top of the Kumani mud volcano, located about 19 kilometres from the coast of Azerbaijan. Thanks to NASA's satellite images, taken as part of the Landsat programme (which regularly provides images of Earth from space using nine satellites), it was possible to document its short-lived existence—from formation to almost complete disappearance by the end of 2024.
An island that regularly disappears
The history of this disappearing island dates back to the 19th century. Its first documented appearance was in May 1861, but just a year later, the land vanished. In the 20th century, the island formed at least six times but never lasted longer than two years. Its formation is linked to eruptions of the Kumani mud volcano, which are often accompanied by spectacular fire bursts resembling oil rig explosions. However, this time, in 2023, the island emerged calmly.
Geophysicist Mark Tingay, an enthusiast for mud volcanoes, was the first to notice this phenomenon while browsing satellite images. On the Threads platform in November 2024, he wrote: "A new island suddenly appeared last year, which is amazing. Even more astonishing is that nobody noticed it!"
Science Alert points out that despite the availability of advanced technologies and rapid information flow, there were no official reports about the island in 2023. A similar incident occurred in 1993 – also without much publicity. It wasn't until 10 January 2025, when NASA highlighted an image of the "ghost island" as the picture of the day, drawing attention to the phenomenon again.
The island that emerged near the Kumani Bank mud volcano is not an isolated case. At the end of 2023, a new small island also appeared off the coast of Japan. Japanese experts reported at the time that it was part of the Ogasawara Islands and that an underwater volcanic eruption was responsible for its formation. It's worth noting, however, that most islands formed as a result of underwater volcanic activity quickly disappear, although there are exceptions.
