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Three earthquakes, registering up to magnitude 4.3, were reported in the region in the days immediately before the eruption.<ref name="wpost">{{cite news |
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Revision as of 04:44, 3 October 2007
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (September 2007) |
Jabal al-Tair Island (Jebel Teir, Jabal al-Tayr, Tair Island, Al-Tair Island, Jazirat at-Tair; Arabic: جزيرة جبل الطير Jazīrah Jabal aṭ-Ṭayr, literally, "Bird Mountain Island") is a roughly oval volcanic island northwest of the constricted Bab al-Mandab passage at the mouth of the Red Sea, about half way between Yemen and Eritrea. Since 1996, Yemen has maintained two watchtowers and a small military base on the island.
After 124 years of dormancy, the volcano which created the island erupted on 30 September 2007.
Geography
The island is roughly oval, approximately 3-km (2 mile) long,[1] covering an area of 1.54 square miles (3.99 km2).[2] It lies nearly half way between Yemen (115 km/70 miles to the east) and Eritrea (approximately 150 km (93 mi)* south west). It is about 82 km (51 mi) from the Yemeni Kamaran Island; the Saudi Arabian Farasan Islands lie to the north east.
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The island comprises the basaltic stratovolcano Jabal at-Tair (Tair Mountain; Arabic: جبل الطائر Jabal aṭ-Ṭāʼīr, literally, "Bird Mountain") rising from seabed some 1,200 metres (3,940 ft) below the surface of the Red Sea, continuing for 244 m (801 feet) above the surface up to the summit of the crater.[1] The volcano was considered "recently extinct" as of 1982.[3] It was the northernmost known Holocene volcano in the Red Sea, with one central vent, Jebel Duchan.[1] It lies in the volcanic and geologically active region near the divergent boundary between the African Plate and the Arabian Plate.
The island has no natural water supply, and had a high conical peak rising above a basalt bluff some 300 feet (90 m) above a gradual littoral. The prominent profile made it an ideal landmark for Red Sea shipping, and the steep drop-off below sea level meant that it might be safely run for.[4] The island lacks a settled population, but some parts of the island have allowed for the seasonal presence of fishermen.[5]
History
In the past, the island, formerly known as Saiban,[6] was an important navigational marker for the shipping lanes that passed nearby.[5] Historically, the Ottoman Empire controlled the Red Sea islands, and granted a French company a lighthouse concession. British forces occupied the island in 1915, but sovereignty was deliberately left indeterminate. After a period of French-British operation the lighthouse concession passed to a British company, then to Yemen.[7]
Sovereignty of the island was long disputed among Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen. Under a 1962 agreement, lighthouses were maintained on the island at the cost of shippers.[3] In 1973, Yemen had notified Ethiopia of its intent to perform an aerial survey, and an ambiguous response by Ethiopia was later a point of contention; Ethiopia designated the islands in the area as having "no recognized owner".[8] The dispute, after Eritrea's 1993 independence from Ethiopia, flared up in the 1995 Hanish islands crisis regarding the Hanish Islands and Zuqar Island.[9] A 1998-99 international case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration awarded various islands to Eritrea and Yemen respectively.[8]
Yemen has maintained a military base on the island since 1996, following the dispute with Eritrea. There are two watchtowers for control and observation of the large warships, cargo ships, and oil tankers that pass by.
2007 eruption
The volcano erupted at 7 p.m. local time on 30 September 2007, throwing lava and ash hundreds of meters into the air. Subsequently, lava was seen flowing down into the sea. It was reported that 29 Yemeni soldiers (around 50 according to one report) were evacuated from the island shortly before the eruption, but 8 were unaccounted for. Several bodies were recovered from the water.[10][2] It was reported that the western part of the island, the location of the Yemeni military base, had collapsed.[11]
Yemeni authorities requested help from a nearby NATO naval force, and the nearest ship, a Canadian Navy vessel HMCS Toronto, was reported to be aiding the Yemeni coastguard.[12] Other ships from NATO Standing NRF Maritime Group 1 assisted in the rescue and recovery effort, including the USS Bainbridge; the Bainbridge and Toronto each rescued one survivor. The Portuguese frigate NRP Álvares Cabral and the Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen were first on the scene.[13] Both survivors were rescued after over 20 hours in the water, just as the task force was preparing to close down its search. A Canadian officer described a "spectacular backdrop of erupting lava and shooting flames" faced by search parties in small boats.[14]
Three earthquakes, registering up to magnitude 4.3, were reported in the region in the days immediately before the eruption.[9]
There were several previous eruptions of the volcano, including a possible one in 1332, and others in the 18th and 19th centuries, most recently (before 2007) in 1883. [1]
References
- ^ a b c d Siebert, L. (2007-10-01). "Jebel at Tair". Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Henry, Emma (2007-10-01). "Volcano erupts on Red Sea island". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Lapidoth, Ruth (1982). The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 5. ISBN 9024725011.
- ^ James, William (1900). The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Pilot. Great Britain Hydrographic Office. pp. 72–73.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Al-Ghabri, Ismail (2006-05-22). "Yemen's leisurely beaches require development". Yemen Times. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Ambraseys, Nicholas Nicholas (1994). The Seismicity of Egypt, Arabia, and the Red Sea: A Historical Review. Cambridge University Press. p. 62. ISBN 0521391202.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Yemen". Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ^ a b Quéneudec, Jean-Pierre (2005). The Eritrea-Yemen Arbitration Awards 1998 and 1999. Cambridge University Press. p. 90. ISBN 9067041793.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Ghobari, Mohammed (2007-10-01). "Nine missing after volcano erupts off Yemen". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Three killed as volcano erupts". CNN. 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Volcano erupts on Red Sea island". BBC News. 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Red Sea volcano's 'catastrophic' eruption". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Standing NATO Maritime Group ONE Aids in Volcanic Eruption Search and Rescue" (PDF) (Press release). North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ^ Noor Javed (2007-10-02). "Canadians aid dramatic rescue". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
External links
15°32′N 41°50′E / 15.54°N 41.83°E Coordinates: Parameter: "type=" should be "type:"