Intermittent Eruptions Observed on India’s Only Active Volcano

Last Updated on April 26, 2017 by Bharat Saini

Barren Island Volcano, India’s only active volcano is erupting once again and spewing smoke, lava and ash as observed closely, by scientists from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Goa; on January 23 & 26, 2017. This Barren Island volcano is located 140 km Northeast of Port Blair, in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, had been dormant for more than 150 years but had started erupting in 1991 and has since then has shown intermittent activity. The scientists observed that volcano was erupting in small episodes lasting about 5 to 10 minutes. During the daytime only ash clouds were observed. However after sundown, the red lava fountains spewing from the crater into the atmosphere and hot lava flows streaming down the slopes of the volcano were observed. Scientists revisited the volcano in the early hours and witnessed the continuation of spurts of blasts and smoke. The Andaman Basin is known for its strong seismicity, submarine volcanoes and hypothermal activity and is an active back arc spreading basin. According to scientists such volcanoes are formed due the rising magma formed deep in the mantle due to the melting of the sub-ducted Indian Ocean Crust. The Barren Island is devoid of vegetation and is uninhabited. The earlier eruption in 1991 of Barren Island Volcano was catastrophic to several animal species as it reduced the number of bird species and their population.

Barren Island Volcano

Studies have revealed that the volcano first erupted 1.6 million years ago and sits on a 106-million-year-old crust and there signs of renewed volcanic activity over the past few decades due to the amount of unreleased pressure stored in the continental plates that support the volcano. An eruption in 2005 was linked to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 on December 26 with epicenter off the Sumatra, Indonesia; known by the scientific community as the Sumatra – Andaman earthquake and triggered destructive tsunami that ravaged India’s southern coast.

There are three kinds of volcanic eruptions:

Magmatic eruptions that involve the decompression of gas withinmagma that propels it forward.
Phreatic eruptions that are driven by the heat from magma creating superheated steam.
Phreatomagmatic eruptions that are caused by the interaction of water and magma.

Most Famous Volcanoes are as under:

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii: This extreme volcano is in the southeast parts of USA. Much of its part lies underwater. The volcano is surrounded by 4 volcanoes; Mauna Loa being is one of them, which make a complete island when join together. One of the most active on Earth has been erupting continuously for 34 years, beginning January 3, 1983. It first erupted 200 years ago, sending speeding lava down its peaks and killing more than 400people. It was the deadliest volcanic eruption on record in the US.
Mount St. Helens Volcano, Washington: Mount St. Helens Volcano caused a severe eruption in 1980. It is said to be one of the worst eruptions in the history of USA. Another eruption of the history was recorded on May 18, 1980, showing 5.1 on the Richter scale.
Mount Fuji, Japan: Mount Fuji one of the most famous volcanoes in the world is situated in Tokyo. Its eruption was recorded in January 1708. The height of the mountain is about 11,000 feet.
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland: Eyjafjallajökull has a tongue twist and is actually a small ice caps around Iceland. The world Eyjafjallajökull means ‘Island mountain glacier’ of Icelandic. The height of the mountain is about 1600 meters, and its crater is 2.5 miles in diameter.
Mount Pinatubo, Philippines: Mount Pinatubo is situated in the Cabusilan Mountains of the island of Luzon. In 1991 this volcano caused such a severe eruption that it destroyed a lot of houses in the surrounding areas.
Mount Mayon, Philippines: Mount Mayon on the island of Luzon in the Philippines and is known for its symmetrical conical shape, known as thePerfect Cone. It first erupted on June 23, 1897.
Cotopaxi, Ecuador: This is found in the parts of Andes Mountain and the Pacific Ring of Fire and is one of the most extreme volcanoes in the world. It was first discovered in 1744 the time when its first eruption was noticed, followed by the eruptions of 1768 and 1877. So far over 85 eruptions have been recorded and the volcano remains active all the time.
Mount Etna, Italy: This is situated on the east coasts of Sicily and is one of thetallest active volcanoes of Europe. Its elevation is 3,229 meters about United Nations has chosen it as Decade Volcano with the indication that the volcano remains active all the time.
Popocatépetl, Central Mexico: This volcano is situated in Central Mexico and is believed to be 720,000 years old. It first erupted in 1991 and remains frequently active. The elevation of the volcano is 5,426 meters.
Krakatoa (Krakatau), Indonesia: Krakatoa (also spelled Krakatau) is hundreds of years old, but its eruption was recorded in 1883 for the first time its eruption destroyed the whole island. This volcano can be heard in the Indonesian island as well as Australia.
OlympusMons: This tallest volcano in the solar system is on Mars. This is a giant shield volcano that rises to an elevation of 27 km, and it measures 550 km across.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii: This tallest volcano on Earth with an elevation of 4,207 m. and if the shield volcano is measured from the base of the ocean to its peak its height is 10,203 m.,e. it is taller than the Mount Everest.