The Role of Regional Tectonic Stresses in Mud Volcanism on Southern Sakhalin

The article studies the tectonic stress field of Southern Sakhalin on the basis of seismological, geological, tectonophysical, GPS, and remote (satellite) methods. The most characteristic type of stress state for Southern Sakhalin is latitudinal–sublatitudinal horizontal compression. The field forming the morphology of the Pugachev and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk mud volcanoes, as well as the shape of their gryphons, fully corresponds to the nature of this state, which is confirmed by analysis of satellite images.The images were used to supplement the results of previous researchers on the study of directions of gryphon bands and to measure deformation of volcano calderas. The Pugachev volcano gryphon bend strikes 25°, and that of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk mud volcano strikes 30°, which corresponds well to the regional tectonic stress field. The expediency of using remote (satellite) methods as an supplement to geological and geophysical methods, in particular borehole calipers, is shown.