Ghostly island emerges and vanishes in the Caspian Sea
In 2023, a mysterious island appeared on the surface of the Caspian Sea, disappearing again by the end of 2024 after less than two years. Experts discovered its existence through photographs provided by NASA. Several such islands exist worldwide, one of which completely vanished is the Japanese Esanbe Hanakita Kojima.
In January 2023, a new island appeared on top of the Kumani mud volcano, located about 19 kilometres from the coast of Azerbaijan. As reported by Science Alert, its existence was documented via NASA satellite images taken as part of the Landsat program. This program, which uses nine satellites, regularly provides images of Earth from space. The island was visible from the moment it formed until it nearly vanished by the end of 2024.
The island that regularly disappears
The history of this disappearing island dates back to the 19th century when it was first documented in May 1861. It disappeared from the surface just a year later. In the 20th century, the island appeared at least six times but never lasted more than two years. Its formation is linked to eruptions of the Kumani mud volcano, which are often spectacular and resemble oil platform explosions. However, in 2023, the island emerged quietly, without the usual spectacular bursts of fire.
Geophysicist Mark Tingay, an enthusiast of mud volcanoes, was the first to notice this phenomenon while analyzing satellite images. In November 2024, he expressed his amazement on the Threads platform about the new island that had appeared the previous year. It was even more surprising to him that no one noticed it.
Science Alert emphasizes that despite the availability of modern technology and the rapid flow of information, there were no official reports on the island in 2023. A similar situation occurred in 1993 when there was also no significant public attention. It wasn't until January 10, 2025, when NASA highlighted the image of the "ghost island" as the image of the day, that the phenomenon attracted attention again.
The island that appeared near the Kumani Bank mud volcano is not the only such case. At the end of 2023, a new small island was also observed off the coast of Japan. Japanese specialists indicated that it is part of the Ogasawara archipelago, and its formation resulted from an underwater volcano eruption. However, it is worth noting that most islands that form due to underwater volcanic activity disappear quickly, though there are exceptions.
