Scortoasa Town Hall in Buzau County requested a detailed report from the National Institute for Medical Rehabilitation, Physical Medicine and Balneoclimatology (INRMFB) regarding the characteristics of the mud from the Mud Volcanoes, aimed at determining its therapeutic properties required in the process of obtaining the status of a tourist resort of local interest for the commune.

The local administration says that specialist analyses are necessary to determine any therapeutic qualities. The mud volcanoes are formations created by natural gases that rise to the surface from depth, passing through clay soil and the groundwater table. The gases push to the surface water mixed with clay, and the resulting mud dries on contact with air and forms cones similar to volcanoes.

'With the support of INRMFB we have learnt that, historically speaking, the types of mud in Scortoasa commune are not known to have therapeutic virtues, however, in order to qualify as a therapeutic mineral substance a pharmacodynamic study and a clinical study are required in accordance with current legislation. Moreover, the same institute indicates that to obtain the status of climatic, balneary or climatic-balneary area or resort, specific documentation must be prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Health, and for tourism activity the tourist resorts in Romania are certified on the basis of the tourism law,' Scortoasa Town Hall told AGERPRES.

The local administration also shows that projects aimed at the sustainable development of the areas with mud volcanoes have been submitted both by Buzau County Council (CJ), aimed at modernising county roads DJ 102F and DJ 220A, and by Scortoasa commune for the establishment of water supply and sewerage systems.

'Following the INRMFB clarifications we have concluded a Service Provision Contract for carrying out complete analyses, namely surveys, physico-chemical and microbiological analyses, therapeutic indications of the substance and therapeutic minerals of mud from the Mud Volcanoes in the territory of Scortoasa commune. We mention that we remain focused on accessing projects to ensure the development of the locality both from a tourism and medical perspective with a view to obtaining resort status,' the source added.

According to the initial test report requested and provided to AGERPRES by Scortoasa Town Hall, the organic composition of the mud includes, among other elements, quantities of organic carbon and nitrogen, humic acids, waxes, resins, hydrocarbons and minerals such as chlorine, bromine, iodine, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

'The Town Hall has carried out an initial study through INRMFB regarding the qualities of the mud. The response is general, but further studies will be needed,' Scortoasa mayor Vasile Sacuiu told AGERPRES.

The Mud Volcanoes have in fact been the subject of several recent studies and analyses. A team from the National Institute for Research and Development for Earth Physics has conducted tests using drones equipped with state of the art sensors, including LiDAR, ground penetrating radar, magnetometers, thermal cameras and gas sensors in the Mud Volcanoes area to decipher the hidden structure of the ground. The activities were carried out by researchers from the Applied Geophysics, Prevention and Education Laboratory (GeoEduLab) of the National Institute for Earth Physics in partnership with Skyline Drones and SPH Engineering. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Florin Zafiu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)