Dormant for more than two decades, India's only mud volcano at Baratang in Andaman and Nicobar Islands has again erupted, an official said on Friday.
The volcano erupted with a deafening sound on October 2, the official said.
"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.
"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.
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.
"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 officer said.
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.
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.
"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.
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