India's only live volcano erupts in Andaman again!

India’s only volcano, on Barren Island in the Indian Ocean, has erupted yet again. After lying dormant for 150 years, it erupted in 1991 and ever since, it has erupted in regular intervals. The scientists from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) have confirmed about the same on Friday.

 

"The volcano is erupting in small episodes of five to 10 minutes,” Abhay Mudholkar, Head of the team which is collecting samples in the Andaman basin, was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

 

"During the day, only ash clouds were observed. But after sundown, red lava foundations were spewing from the crater into the atmosphere and hot lava streamed down the slopes."

 

According to the researchers of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and NIO, the Andaman basin is known for strong seismicity, submarine volcanoes and hydro-thermal activities. The researchers and the scientists from CSIR and NIO have actually found out that there are several submerged volcanoes in a linear chain, which is usually known as a volcanic arc.

 

"We are checking the composition of the lava and powdering the black sand to figure out the components. These volcanoes are formed due to the rising magma formed deep in the mantle due to the melting of the subducted Indian Ocean crust," Mudholkar added.

 

"A few of these submarine volcanoes have been dredged for samples and a pumice type of light volcanic rock has been recovered."

 

However, this island is uninhabited. But tourists from India can visit the island by motorboat after getting permission from the forest department in Port Blair.