India's only mud volcano erupts after two decades in Andamans – all you need to know

India's only when clay volcano at Baratang in Andaman and Nicobar Islands has once more erupted, an functionary said on fri, October 2.

The volcano erupted with a deafening sound on October 2, the official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. This volcano has been dormant for more than two decades.

"The mud volcano here is formed by gases deep inside the earth from decaying organic matter. It pushes the mud and gas to the surface, which creates bubbles and craters. It is one of the must-visit spots in Andaman and Nicobar Islands," the official said.

Baratang is located in the North and Middle Andaman district, and it is nearly 150 km away from Port Blair. It is a very popular tourist spot because it is India's only mud volcano.

"We received Information at around 1.30 pm on Thursday (October 2) about a violent eruption of a mud volcano at Jarwa Creek, Baratang. Such a big eruption was last reported in 2005. The eruption was followed by a deafening sound like an explosion. On receiving the information, local police officers, along with forest officials, visited the spot," a senior police officer said.

One of the mud volcanoes in Baratang Islands erupted recently in 2005 owing to the oceanic seismic shifts. The mud volcanoes in Baratang Islands are the only known volcanoes in the the Indian sub-continent, although other volcanoes exist in the surrounding islands

"As a result of the eruption, an earth mound of about 3-4 metres in height has formed, and the muddy soil has spread over an area of more than 1,000 sq metres. The eruption is still continuing, with mud and smoke continuously coming out. As a safety precaution, the movement of tourists towards the mud volcano has been stopped. The Forest department has closed the approach routes. The incident has also been reported to the Geological department," the official said.

Mud volcanoes, also called ‘Mud Domes,’ are formed by the eruption of mud slurries, water, and gases involving series of geological processes. But unlike actual ingenious volcanoes, mud volcanoes don’t throw out lava when they erupt.

It is a geological formation where a mixture of mud, water, and gases (mainly methane, sometimes carbon dioxide or nitrogen) erupts to the surface, creating cone-like structures that resemble true volcanoes without molten lava.

The sizes of mud volcanoes lie between one and two meters to 700 meters high and between one and two meters to 10 kilometers wide.

Mud volcanoes produce mud when they erupt and hence the name. And this mud is what generally goes into the formation of a hot water spring. The temperatures of mud volcanoes are also usually lower than that of real ingenious volcanoes.

Recently, minor volcanic eruptions were also noticed twice in a span of eight days at Barren Island in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on September 13 and 20.

Nearly 140 km away from Port Blair by sea, this uninhabited Island lies at the junction of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates. The total area of Barren Island is 8.34 square kilometres, and the nearest habitation is Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island) and Narcondam Lookout Post (LoP), which is nearly 140-150 km respectively from Barren Island.

According to data available with Andaman and Nicobar administration's archive, the first eruption at Barren Island took place in 1787 followed by mild eruptions in 1991, 2005, 2017 and the most recent one was in November 2022.

All safety measures have been taken for tourists and the local people, he said.

The police team has informed the Fiber Boat Owners' Association and local tourist vehicle owners regarding the suspension of movement towards the mud volcano site.

"The mud volcano at Baratang and active volcano in Barren Island are located at separate locations and both are not the same. The recent active volcanic eruption on September 13 and 20 was reported at Barren Island, but this one (mud volcano) was reported (on October 2) from mud volcano in Baratang," the official said.

(With agency inputs)

---

---