:
For other areas bearing the same name, see the disambiguation page Barren IslandBarren Island (coordinates: ) is located in the
Andaman Sea, one of the most easterly of the
Andaman Islands. It is the only confirmed
active volcano in
South Asia. Along with the rest of the Andamans, it is a part of the
Indian
Union Territory of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and lies about 135 km northeast of the territory's capital,
Port Blair. The first recorded eruption of the volcano dates back to
1787. Since then, the volcano has erupted more than six times, most recently on
19 July,
2009.
After the first recorded eruption in 1787, further eruptions were recorded in
1789,
1795,
1803–
04, and
1852. After nearly one and half century of dormancy, the island had another eruption in
1991 that lasted six months and caused considerable damage. There were eruptions in
1994–
95 and
2005–
07, the later being considered to be linked to the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The most recent eruption started in May
2008 and still continues.
Location
Outline map of the
Andaman Islands, with the location of Barren Island highlighted (red circle).
This volcanic island stands in the midst of a volcanic belt on the edge of the Indian and
Burmese tectonic plates.
Narcondum is a dormant volcano in the area, apart from volcanic
seamounts like Alcock and Sewell.
All the historical and recent eruptions (1787 and after) are confined within and around an active polygenetic
cinder cone in a 2 km wide
caldera that is formed by the collapse of a primitive cone of a
stratovolcano. The remnant of the primitive
volcanic cone forms a precipitous cliff around the island (commonly referred as
caldera wall), with a break towards the west. The highest elevation on the island is 354 metres (1,161 ft), with most of the primitive volcano underwater (standing on the
seafloor 2250 meters below the sea level). The island is 3 km in diameter, with a total surface area of 10 km².
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 harsh conditions.
See also
barren island
