Distribution and formation conditions of salt diapirs and mud volcanoes

Analysis of the distribution of salt diapirs and mud volcanoes in the Earth’s continental block reveals their frequent spatial coincidence. These structures are also characterized by similar morphological and geological structures indicating their elisional origin. The appearance of zones with anomalously high formation pressures (AHFP) is the main factor responsible for the development of mud volcanoes and salt diapirs. The anomalously high formation pressure reflects transformation of the phase composition of salts, clay minerals, and dispersed organic matter under the influence of thermolysis and thermocatalysis in closed physicochemical systems.