Romania’s Mud Volcanoes scanned by cutting-edge drones in new study

Romania’s famous Mud Volcanoes, located in the southern Buzău County, were recently scanned by experts from the National Institute for Earth Physics Research and Development with the help of drones equipped with modern sensors, in order to better understand the structure of the soil and the associated risks.

INFP specialists, together with their partners Skyline Drones and SPH Engineering, conducted tests with drones equipped with advanced LiDAR technology, ground-penetrating radars, magnetometers, thermal cameras, and gas sensors.

The initiative was carried out within GeoEduLab, the laboratory where INFP combines research with education and the prevention of geological risks. Researchers had the opportunity to train in the use of new aerial technologies, and the data obtained will be used in future projects.

The mission’s purpose was to decipher the hidden structure of the unstable terrain, monitor gas emissions, and identify vulnerable areas to landslides.

“In this campaign, the team is training in the use of drones and geophysical equipment, and the collected data becomes resources for understanding the areas and the risks associated with them,” institution representatives said in a post on Facebook.

Although the Mud Volcanoes are a well-known tourist attraction, researchers emphasize that the area is surprisingly little studied from a scientific point of view.“These measurements not only complete the knowledge about the Mud Volcanoes, but can also be replicated in other regions with seismic or geological risk.”

Last year, the same institution mapped the subsurface of a mud volcano in 3D using FullWaver equipment.

(Photo source: Geo Edu Lab video on Facebook screen capture)