Baratang Island

sfg-2026
ForumIAS LATEST
  1. 12 June | From 105 to 142 in UPSC Prelims | AIR 2 IFoS 2025 Shares His Strategy | Click Here to Watch →
  2. 12 June | Failed Prelims, Secured IFoS AIR 36: Nikhil's Success Story |
    Click Here to Watch →
  3. 12 June | What Helped AIR 02 Crack IFoS? SFG, Mock Tests & Answer Writing | Click Here to Watch →

News: India’s only mud volcano at Baratang in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands erupted on October 2 after over two decades of dormancy.

About Baratang Island

Source – Research Gate
  • Location: It lies in the North and Middle Andaman district, nearly 150 km from Port Blair.
  • Ranchiwalas Island is another name for Baratang Island.
  • This island is inhabited mainly by the migrated Chota Nagpuri tribes.
  • Size: The island covers about 242.6 sq. km.
  • Cultural Heritage: Baratang Island is also home to the Jarawa tribe, one of the indigenous tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • Distinctive Features of Baratang Island: It include the limestone caves, the Mud Volcano, Parrot Island, and Baludera Beach.
  • Baratang Mud Volcano
    • Baratang’s mud volcano, locally called jalki,” is India’s only mud volcano.
    • It releases a mix of mud, decomposed organic matter, and gases that forms a bubbling pool with small craters and striking surface features.
    • Previous eruption: A violent eruption was last reported in 2005.
    • Process of formation: Gases generated deep inside the earth from decaying organic matter build pressure below the surface.
      • This pressure pushes mud and gas upward, and as they escape, they create bubbles and craters that shape the Baratang mud volcano.
Print Friendly and PDF
Blog
Academy
Community