SILOAM – Ten school children have been rescued from the bubbling mud-fountain at Siloam in the Nzhelele area during the past weeks.

The "mud fountains" caused a quite scare within the community, not only out of fear for a possible tremor, earthquake or even a volcanic eruption, but also the danger it presented to the village's children. One of the fountains is situated within walking distance from a school and according to Mr Paul Mukwena, a representative of the Siloam community, more than ten children have already been rescued from the mud pools.

Mrs Takalani Matamela's house is crumbling to the ground and all the other houses are full of cracks. She told Mirror that the floor in the house is oozing mud. This gives her sleepless nights.

Although this is not commonly known, volcanic activity is not uncommon to the Siloam area. It was only in April last year that scientists took a new interest in the area with the sudden appearance of several mud fountains oozing from the earth's crust.

Prof. Peter Omara-Ojungu, Dean of the School of Environmental Science at the University of Venda said intensive research has been done to evaluate the situation. Since then, he said, research has proven that the appearance of the mud fountains presents no danger to the inhabitants of Siloam.

He added that scientists would continue monitoring the situation and that further studies would be done regarding building zones and the quality of the water.

The Siloam Fault Line was formed after the formation of the Soutpansberg Mountain Range some 1,7 billion years ago. It stretches from the west of Thohoyandou, through the mountain up to the south of Venetia Mine. At Siloam, the fault is approximately three kilometres deep.

Two other major fault lines, the Tshipise Fault Line and the Messina Fault Line, are also found in the area. The hot water springs at Tshipise, Sagole Spa and Mphephu Resort are found on the Tshipise Fault Line, while the Messina Fault Line is responsible for the rich copper deposits in the Messina area.

Dr Stoyan Mitchev from the School of Environmental Science of the Department of Mining and Environmental Geology, also states that the occurrence of "mud fountains" along the fault line is not unusual. He explained that the mud pools are related to the penetration of ground water through the Siloam fault and the higher clay content of the upper part of the Nzhelele formation.

This is due to the heavy rainfall in February last year and the abundance of water finding its way into the underground water system. He added that the seismic activity in the area is almost zero and that the mud pools will disappear in time with the gradual decrease in the level of the underground water tables.