The Fierbătorile de la Berca

Fierbătorile de la Berca is one of four mud volcano areas within the commune of Berca, Buzău County, alongside Pâclele Mari, Pâclele Mici, and Fierbătorile de la Beciu. Located in the northern part of the town of Berca, they are distinguished by their specific morphology: instead of mud cones — characteristic of the Pâcle sites — Fierbătorile feature nearly circular craters containing liquid mud. Gases escaping to the surface continuously agitate the mud, creating the impression that it is boiling — hence the name. The phenomenon is generated by the same mechanism as at the Pâcle sites: natural gas emissions originating from subcarpathian hydrocarbon deposits, which pass through layers of clay and groundwater. Fierbătorile cover a smaller surface area than the Pâcle sites, but the eruptions are more frequent and more visually dynamic — the largest ones erupting every few seconds. They are part of the UNESCO Geopark Ținutul Buzăului, recognised in 2022. They are typically visited in combination with Pâclele Mari and Pâclele Mici as part of the same itinerary, and are well worth seeing as they offer a different perspective on the same geological phenomenon.