The Earth we stand on might seem unchanging, but beneath the surface and across our oceans, incredible transformations are occurring all the time. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Kumani Bank mud volcano, also recognized as Chigil-Deniz, located about 15 miles (25 km) off Azerbaijan's shoreline in the Caspian Sea.

Thanks to the stunning capabilities of NASA's Earth Observatory, we’ve been gifted with a series of remarkable images captured by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 and 9 satellites. These images unveil the dramatic lifecycle of a new island, showcasing its birth only to watch it slowly vanish back into the depths of the sea.

The first satellite image, taken in November 2022, reveals the area completely submerged beneath the water, devoid of any land. However, following a spectacular eruption in early 2023, a new island emerged, dramatically extending its sediment plume for miles across the surface. The newly formed island, which appeared between January 30 and February 4, 2023, reached a peak width of approximately 1,300 feet (400 meters). Yet, as nature would have it, just a couple of years later, by the end of 2024, this island has merely shrunk to a tiny dot, fading rapidly into the vast Caspian Sea.

This fleeting existence of the ghost island at the Kumani Bank is not a rare occurrence; it has been documented multiple times throughout history. NASA reports that the mud volcano has recorded eight significant eruptions since as early as May 1861, when a small island measuring just 285 feet (87 meters) wide appeared. The largest recorded island arose from an eruption in 1950, dwarfing its predecessors at 2,300 feet (700 meters) wide and towering 20 feet (6 meters) high above the water.

According to University of Adelaide geologist Mark Tingay, mud volcanoes like those found in Azerbaijan are "weird and wonderful features that remain largely understudied and little understood." These geological marvels form when underground pressure forces hot fluids, gases, and sediments upwards, creating these transient landforms.

Interestingly, Azerbaijan boasts an astonishing concentration of these sulfuric and mud-filled volcanoes, with over 300 dispersed around its east coast. This unique geological feature makes the region a hotspot for research and study, revealing the dynamic relationship between our planet’s surface and the forces that continually shape it.

As we observe this "ghost island" phenomenon, it raises profound questions about change, permanence, and the awe-inspiring processes at play beneath our feet. Keep watching the skies and the seas – nature has many more surprises in store!