Port Blair: Barren Island, located in the Andaman Sea and home to India’s only active volcano, has experienced two minor eruptions within a span of eight days, according to officials. The first eruption occurred on September 13, followed by a second on September 20. Both events were described as minor and pose no immediate threat to human life, as the island is uninhabited.
The second eruption on September 20 came just two days after a magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck the Andaman Sea on September 18. Barren Island is situated at the juncture of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates, a region prone to seismic activity. According to experts, the “earthquake shaking intensity” in the volcano’s magma chamber likely disturbed it, leading to a “pre-mature magmatic eruption.”
A video of one of the recent eruptions, captured by an Indian Navy warship on patrol, was shared on social media by Sansad TV. The footage shows a plume of smoke and lava erupting from the volcano’s crater, a spectacular but not uncommon sight for the region.
Barren Island, which is roughly 140 km from Port Blair, is a striking geological feature and the only active volcano in all of South Asia. Historical records from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration show that its first recorded eruption was in 1787. Since then, the volcano has had mild eruptions in 1991, 2005, 2017, and 2022, before the most recent events this month.
While the island attracts visitors from around the globe due to its unique status, people are not permitted to set foot on it for safety reasons. Tourists can, however, visit the island by boat and view the volcanic activity from a safe distance. The island is largely covered in ash and has minimal vegetation, but its surrounding waters are known for their clear conditions and rich marine life. The only creatures that live on the island are a few species of feral goats, rodents, bats, and birds.