The mud volcano Dzhau-Tepe in Kerch is located near the village of Vulkanovka, ten kilometers south of the village of Leninskoye, not far from the Kerch-Feodosia highway. In total, there are more than 50 mud volcanoes on the Kerch Peninsula. Presented in the form of hills and flat-bottomed oval depressions, the mud volcanoes of the Kerch Peninsula are different in shape. Volcanoes of the first type resemble in shape a high cut cone with steep slopes (Dzhankoysky, Dzhautepe, Aktyube), or an oval hill with a flat top (Novo-Shepeteyevsky, Soldatsky). The flat area of the mud steppes of the volcanoes of the second type (Tarkhanskiy, Bulganakskiy) is covered with a developed microrelief: small salses, griffin, mud lentils and lakes.
The height of the largest of the Crimean volcanoes, Dzhau-Tepe, is 60 meters. In the Middle Ages, its eruption completely destroyed the local village, hence the name of the volcano: "enemy mountain" - from the Crimean Tatar dialect. The last eruption was observed in 1942, since then the volcano has been inactive. This area is dominated by steppe vegetation. To the south of the volcano there is a hydrogen sulphide spring with a huge inflow of water. The mud eruptions of Dzhau Tepe are impressive in their volume - up to 55 million m3 and an area of about 1.5 km2. The mud volcano is located on the dome of the Vulkanovskaya anticline, which is located almost horizontally.
Since 1975, the unique mud volcano Dzhau-Tepe has received the title of a natural monument of national importance. You can reach it along the Feodosia-Kerch highway, or by rail, leaving in the Lenino area, follow to the south to the village of Vulkanovka. A large hill with a volcano rises 60 m above the plain and 119 m above the sea surface. Thanks to this height, the hill can be clearly seen from afar.
According to P. S. Pallas, the explorer of Crimea, Dzhau-Tepe was formed as a result of a violent eruption of the 18th century. Over the past 60 years, the attraction of Kerch, the Dzhau-Tepe volcano, did not show signs of life, but it is not known whether it has died down forever.