RAS question
Barren Island, the only active volcano in India, is located in:
Correct answer: (A) Andaman Islands.
Barren Island is located in the Andaman Islands in the Andaman Sea. It is the only confirmed active volcano in India and South Asia.
Explanation
Barren Island lies in the Andaman Sea, about 138 km northeast of Port Blair, and belongs to the Andaman group rather than the Nicobar group or India’s western island systems. The Geological Survey of India’s atlas of rock textures places it in the east Andaman Sea, on the inner arc of the Burma-Andaman-Java subduction complex, and identifies it as South Asia’s only active volcano. The Andaman Islands are the exposed peaks of the submerged Arakan Yoma mountain-chain extension, which explains their volcanic and tectonic character. Lakshadweep, by contrast, is coral in nature. Narcondam is another volcano in the Andaman group, but it is dormant and therefore does not alter Barren Island’s status.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Nicobar Islands is incorrect because Barren Island belongs to the Andaman group in the east Andaman Sea, not to the Nicobar group.
- (C) Off the coast of Gujarat is incorrect because Barren Island lies near Port Blair in the Andaman Sea; in this context, Gujarat is associated only with non-active pyroclastic occurrences.
- (D) Lakshadweep is incorrect because it is coral in nature, whereas Barren Island lies in the volcanic and tectonic setting of the Andaman region.
Concept
This question tests the physiography and origin of India’s island groups. The Andaman-Nicobar group has a tectonic-volcanic setting, whereas Lakshadweep is coral in nature. RAS repeatedly tests Barren Island as a standard location-based exception because it is India’s only active volcano.