Unearthing Ancient Secrets: India's Million-Year-Old Mud Volcano

Deep within the verdant embrace of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands lies a geological marvel, a pulsating natural wonder that has quietly shaped the landscape for eons. On Baratang Island, India’s sole active mud volcano, a testament to Earth's dynamic forces, has now revealed a stunning secret: its origins stretch back an astonishing 2.3 million years, placing its birth in the Early Pleistocene Epoch.

This groundbreaking discovery comes courtesy of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), whose meticulous research has cast new light on the ancient history of this unique geological phenomenon.

GSI scientists, through rigorous analysis, confirmed that samples collected from the Baratang mud volcano contain microfossils, specifically foraminifera, that unequivocally date back to the early Pleistocene. This makes it not only India's only active mud volcano but also the oldest known mud volcano in the country, a true window into Earth's distant past.

The Baratang mud volcano, locally known as 'Jalaki', is a site of constant geological intrigue.

Unlike its fiery volcanic cousins, mud volcanoes erupt a slurry of mud, water, and gases rather than molten rock. This phenomenon is typically driven by geo-pressured fluids and gases pushing their way through sedimentary layers, often triggered or exacerbated by seismic activity. Indeed, the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, a cataclysmic event, famously revitalized and expanded the craters of several mud volcanoes in the region, including those on Baratang.

While Baratang hosts this singular active marvel, it’s not alone in its geological tapestry.

The island also cradles nine other dormant mud volcanoes, silent sentinels of past geological upheavals. Beyond Baratang, other active mud volcanoes dot the landscape of North and Middle Andaman, notably in Diglipur and Shyamnagar, further underscoring the region’s active tectonic nature. Globally, mud volcanoes are common features in tectonically active zones and often serve as surface indicators of deeper hydrocarbon systems, making their study invaluable for both geological understanding and resource exploration.

The GSI's Marine and Coastal Survey Division played a pivotal role in this discovery, undertaking detailed studies of the region's geological makeup.

Their work involved collecting precise samples and employing sophisticated micropalaeontological techniques to identify the tiny, time-stamped foraminifera that provided the definitive age. This scientific endeavor not only enriches our understanding of the Andaman Islands' geological evolution but also contributes significantly to the broader study of mud volcanism and its profound connections to Earth's subterranean processes.

The Baratang mud volcano stands as a living, breathing testament to the immense, slow-burning power of our planet.

Its 2.3-million-year history is a humbling reminder of the geological forces that constantly reshape our world, a silent storyteller of epochs past, now finally sharing its ancient secrets with us.