KOTA KINABALU: A rare mud volcano "eruption" phenomenon at the Tabin Wildlife Park, Lahad Datu yesterday has gone viral on social media.
The viral video received numerous comments from netizens with some relating it with the possibility of an earthquake.
Sabah geologist Professor Dr Felix Tongkul, however, said, the mud volcano eruption phenomenon was a normal thing that happened when the mud pressure in the earth rose and had to be released.
"This situation repeats itself when pressure accumulates over time.
"Mud volcanoes like this (more active) sometimes occur during earthquakes," he said when contacted by Berita Harian, adding that mud volcanoes were not something new in Sabah.
Apart from Tabin, he said such incidents could also be found in other districts, with one of the popular ones being at Taman Pulau Tiga, Kuala Penyu.
Pulau Tiga, which is now a tourist attraction in Sabah, is said to have been formed as a result of the eruption of a mud volcano in 1897 following an earthquake in Mindanao, southern Philippines.