Volcanoes can have long dormant time. Some volcanoes have been dormant for centuries before becoming active again. The Barren Island Volcano has recently been showing signs of activity.
The Barren Island Volcano has been dormant since 1991. It is located in an uninhabited island near India's eastern coast. It did have some intermittent activity, the last one just in 2005.
The volcano has been observed last January 23 and January 26. The volcano has been seen emitting ash clouds in the daytime. At night lava is seen from the crater and coming down on its slopes. The volcano's activity is a sign of a minor eruption, as explained by Dr. Abhay Mudholkar of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO).
The volcano's activities are brief. Clouds of smoke come out of it for about five to ten minutes. Unlike in 1991 and 1995, the activity of the Barren Island Volcano is mild. A team of volcanologists is studying the activity. The team is about one nautical mile from the island. Going on the island itself is not safe due to the volcano's activity.
The volcanologist team has taken samples of the volcano's sediments and water from around the island, according to CNN. The samples would be used to study the volcano's activity further. The first activity of the volcano has been noted last January 23.
Volcanic activity has been observed by Dr. Mudholkar and his team while getting sea floor samples. They were in the area when the volcano's activity has been noted. A visit to the area on January 26 showed that the volcano was still active, as UPI reports.
The volcano will be continued to be monitored as it could still be dangerous. Even after activity subsides, volcanoes can still be fairly active. Volcanic activity can't be accurately be predicted yet, and many volcanologists would caution people into going to volcanoes that have recently been active.
Volcanoes can be dangerous, and even long dormant ones can become active again. The Barren Island Volcano has recently been showing signs of activity. A new snail species is named after a Dungeons and Dragons character.
