McDonald Islands (volcano) McDonald Islands (volcano) The McDonald Islands () are the peaks of a volcano in the southern Indian Ocean in the vicinity of Heard Island (). The islands are Australian external territory. Prior to 1992, the volcano had not erupted in the previous 75,000 years. The McDonald Islands volcano comprises three islands: McDonald Island, Flat Island (which later merged with McDonald Island) and Meyer Rock. The islands are mostly composed of phonolitic low-silica pumice, dikes and lava domes, and sit atop a submarine plateau, the Kerguelen plateau. They are located about 75 km from Heard Island. McDonald Island is the largest
Mud volcano abyssal plains. Most liquid and solid material is released during eruptions, but seeps occur during dormant periods. The mud is rich in halite (rock salt). First-order estimates of mud volcano emissions have been made (1 Tg = 1 million metric tonnes). Dozens of mud volcanoes can be found on the Taman Peninsula of Russia and the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea along with the south-western portion of Bulgaria near Rupite. In Italy, they are common in the northern front of the Apennines and in Sicily. On August 24, 2013, a mud volcano appeared in the centre of the via Coccia di