Barren Island, the only active volcano in not just India, but all of South Asia, erupted twice during a period of just over a week. Officials stated that the volcano erupted on September 13 and September 20, though both eruptions were relatively minor. The island is approximately 140 kilometers away from Port Blair by sea, and is uninhabited. It lies at the intersection of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates.
History of eruptions at Barren Island
As per data from the administration of Andaman and Nicobar, Barren Island has seen its first eruption back in 1787 and weak eruptions in 1991, 2005, 2017 and 2022, PTI said.
The eruption in 1991 was detrimental to certain animal species present on the island. There are not many fauna living on the island due to the strict conditions but there are some goats, rodents and pigeons.
Some people have supposed that a shipwreck in the Bay of Bengal may have caused the presence of goats on the island, where freshwater springs from the slopes of the volcano allowed them to thrive.
Check out some footage of the eruption right here!
भारत का इकलौता सक्रिय ज्वालामुखी #BarrenIsland फिर सक्रिय हो गया है.
— SansadTV (@sansad_tv) September 22, 2025
यह ज्वालामुखी अंडमान और निकोबार द्वीपसमूह के पूर्वी हिस्से में है.#IndianNavy के एक युद्धपोत से एक वीडियो रिकॉर्ड किया गया है जिसमें ज्वालामुखी से लावा और धुंआ निकलते देखा जा सकता है.
बैरन आइलैंड भारत ही… pic.twitter.com/swsiQnwbCg
Volcanoes in India
There are no active volcanoes on mainland India. However, there are a number of extinct and dormant volcanoes in India, including Narcondam Island (dormant); Deccan Plateau (18.51°N 73.43°E, extinct); Baratang Island (mud volcanoes, active); Dhinodhar Hills (extinct); Dhosi Hill (extinct); Tosham Hills (extinct); and Loktak Lake (Supervolcanic caldera).
Currently, some volcanoes that are active in the world
According to the Global Volcanism Program from the Smithsonian Institute’s Museum of Natural History, between the summer of 2009 and August 6th, 2025, there were “46 volcanoes” around the world that were in a “state of continuing eruption.” Continuing eruption does not imply that the volcanoes were undergoing constant volcanic activity, but that there was “intermittent eruption without a gap of more than three months.”
