Solving The Mystery Of The Giant Eye

The "giant eye" is actually a 2-mile-wide mud volcano, also called a mud pie (3:25). These features form when mud erupts from deep underground, building volcanic cone shapes called gryphons or spreading into flat pools. They're found worldwide, from Azerbaijan to California to Romania.

Azerbaijan contains over 500 identified mud volcanoes, making it the "motherload" of these features (4:40). Small islands along its coast are actually mud volcanoes, and they share characteristics like concentric rings, white salt deposits, and bluish-green coloration from reduced iron in clay minerals.

The distinctive blue to bluish-green color of many mud volcanoes comes from reduced iron within clay minerals (5:35). When the mud is exposed to air, it oxidizes and turns to a regular tan color. Google Earth imagery often enhances these blue colors beyond their natural appearance.

The presenter initially considers whether mud volcanoes work like artesian springs with recharge areas (6:55), but ultimately rejects this model because mud and clay cannot flow through the tiny pores in sandstone or limestone aquifers - it would immediately plug them up.