India's only active volcano, on Barren Island in the Andaman sea, has this year again spewed smoke and lava after the first such activity was reported there in 1991, following a period of 150 years for which the volcano had remained dormant. Here's what the scientists of Goa -based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) recently saw there...
NIO said that a team on board research ship RV Sindhu Sankalp found the volcano spewing ash on the afternoon of january 23.
The Team found the volcano erupting in small episodes lasting about five to ten Minutes.
The volcano was revisited on January 26 and the team found the spurts of blasts and smoke continuing still.
The researchers sais they did not land on the island because it was deemed to be "too dangerous".
Scientists surveying the basin have identified several small submerged volcanoes in a linear chain called volcanic arc.
The volcanic island is uninhabited and its northern part is, as the name suggests, barren and devoid of vegetation.
Indian citizens can visit the island, located around 140KM northeast of the Andamans capital city of Port-Blair, by chartered boats with permission from the forest department.
Researchers have collected samples from the Vicinity of the Island that will help in deciphering the nature of present and past volcanic activity the area.
An eruption began on 28th May 2005. An ash plume was erupted from a vent on the W side of the summit. Lava flows were produced. The eruption may have been precipitated by the great Sumatra earthquake in Dec,2004. Continued ash emissions have been reported between 2005 and 2008. On 3rd January 2010 ash emissions reached a height of 1.5 km.
Barren Island is circular (10 sq km) and consists of a 1.6 km wide somma and a central cone. Barren volcano consists of a caldera open towards the west and a central cinder cone. Two spatter cones the south-eastern and western flanks of the cinder cone formed during the 1994-95 eruption. Pre-caldera activity consists of five lava flows separated by scoria fall beds and minor ash tuff and cinder deposits. Steam vents are visible within the 1995 lava flows. Volcanic island lies only 135 kilometers away from the capital city Port Blair. The island that measures around 3 kilometers has a large crater of the volcano that rises around half kilometers away from the shore of the sea. The depth of the crater is measured around 150 fathoms.True to its name, it is a barren area uninhabited by humans, though it has a small population of goats. Also birds, bats like flying foxes and a few rodent species such as rats are known to survive the hash conditions.
The Directorate of Shipping Services is all set to re-introduce the night shipping trip to Barren Island from Port Blair.
In this regard, the vessel M.V Coral Queen, a Chartered vessel of Directorate of Shipping Services, A&N Administration will sail to Barren Island at 9 pm from Haddo Wharf Port Blair Once in a Week.
The vessel will reach Barren Island Next Day at around 3 am and after giving an opportunity to the passengers to have a distant sight of the erupting volcano at Barren Island,
The vessel will immediately sail back to Port Blair and will arrive here at 1 pm To facilitate comfortable on board stay for the passengers, necessary catering and canteen facilities will be made available on board on payments.
To Book The tickets for this sailing of M.V Coral Queen to Barren Island Contact +91 9933215764
Bangalore
Andaman Beacon
Gear Road, Doddakannelli
Bangalore, Pin 560103
Andaman
Andaman Beacon
Link Road, Goalghar
Port Blair Andaman -744101