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News: Three Indian sites have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List, Karst-mud-volcano Complex of Baratang and Andaman Subduction Volcanoes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are two among them.
About Karst-mud-volcano Complex of Baratang
- Location: The Karst–Mud-Volcano Complex is located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Distinct Geological Features: The site is known for its limestone caves and mud volcanoes.
- Baratang Mud Volcanoes: These are locally known as Jalki. These are significant examples of seismically triggered mud volcanism.
- Unlike igneous volcanoes, they release cool slurries of mud, water and gases, mainly methane and hydrogen sulphide.
- These materials are driven upward by the diapiric movement of overpressured shale layers rather than by magma.
- The mud volcanoes form low cones, bubbling pools and dried crater fields.
- Limestone Caves: The region contains the largest underground cave complex in the area, with numerous limestone caves spread across approximately one sq. km.
- These caves formed over time as water dissolved the limestone, creating chambers and mineral formations.
- Significance: The site is important for scientific research.
- For example, formations inside Mahadev Gupha cave have been studied to obtain clues about India’s summer monsoon patterns over several centuries.
About Andaman Subduction Volcanoes
- Location: Andaman Subduction Volcanoes are located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- It includes Barren and Narcondam Islands. Both are part of the Andaman group.
- They are the only Quaternary-period (the last ~2.6 million years) subduction volcanoes in the inner volcanic arc chain of the Burma-Andaman-Java complex.
- About Barren Island:
- Barren Island is situated approximately 138 km northeast of Sri Vijayapuram in the Andaman Sea.
- It lies above the oceanic crust.
- It features a 2-km-wide caldera formed by the collapse of a stratovolcano during the Pleistocene epoch.
- Chemical compositions: Its lavas are recorded to be mainly basalts and basaltic andesites.
- Volcano Type: It hosts India’s only confirmed active volcano, with eruptions recorded since 1787 and more recent activity reported in 2025 and early 2026.
- It was declared a Geo-heritage site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 2025.
- Barren Island is situated approximately 138 km northeast of Sri Vijayapuram in the Andaman Sea.
- About Narcondam Island:
- Narcondam Island is located about 240 km northeast of Sri Vijayapuram (Port Blair) in the Andaman Islands, in the Bay of Bengal.
- It lies closer to the margin of Asia, with continental-to-transitional crust beneath.
- It shows signs of recent uplift, including a hanging valley, radially arranged drainage and steep coastal cliffs.
- Its summit has no crater but contains three hummocks, which are remnants of earlier eruptions.
- Chemical compositions: Narcondam rocks are dacite-andesite-rhyolite and contain evidence of magma mixing of both mantle and crustal material.
- Fauna: It is home to the Narcondam hornbill, a bird found nowhere else in the world.
- The island also has strict access restrictions, so it is not a regular tourist destination.
- The Island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International and the Bombay Natural History Society and as a Key Biodiversity Area.
