Jabal al-Tair Island

Jabal al-Tair Island (Jebel Teir, Jabal al-Tayr, Tair Island, Al-Tair Island, Jazirat at-Tair; _ar. جزيرة جبل الطير Unicode|"Jazīrat 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 that created the island erupted on 30 September 2007.

Geography

The island is roughly oval, approximately 3-km (2 mile) long, covering an area of convert|1.54|sqmi|km2|2|lk=on. It lies nearly half way between Yemen (115 km/70 miles to the east) and Eritrea (approximately convert|150|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=/ south west). It is about convert|82|km|mi|0|abbr=on from the Yemeni Kamaran Island; the Saudi Arabian Farasan Islands lie to the north east. Infobox Mountain
Name = Jabal at-Tair
Photo =
Caption =
Elevation = 244 m (801 ft)
Location = Yemen (Red Sea island)
Range =
Prominence =
Parent_peak =
Coordinates = coord|15.540299|N|41.833826|E|type:mountain
Topographic

Type = Stratovolcano
Volcanic_Arc/Belt= Great Rift Valley
Age =
Last eruption = Ongoing, started on September 30, 2007
Translation = Bird Mountain
Language = Arabic
Pronunciation = dʒɛ̈bɛ̈l ɛ̈‎t̪ˁɛ̈ɪrThe island comprises the basaltic stratovolcano Jabal al-Tair (Tair Mountain; _ar. جبل الطير Unicode|"Jabal aṭ-Ṭayr", literally, "Bird Mountain") rising from seabed some convert|1200|m|ft|-1|lk=on below the surface of the Red Sea, continuing for 244 m (801 feet) above the surface up to the summit of the crater. The volcano was considered "recently extinct" as of 1982.cite book
last = Lapidoth
first = Ruth
title = The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
publisher = Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
date = 1982
pages = 5
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=qj0_T0gPFMAC&pg=PA5&dq=red.sea+volcano+extinct&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=LtAxHF91NZLQQnNChclDnViGPio
isbn = 9024725011 ] It was the northernmost known Holocene volcano in the Red Sea, with one central vent, Jebel Duchan. It lies in the volcanic and geologically active region of the Red Sea Rift, 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 convert|300|ft|m|-1 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.cite book
last = James
first = William
coauthors = Lloyd Wharton
title = The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Pilot
publisher = Great Britain Hydrographic Office
date = 1900
pages = 72-73
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=Gog0hxsuzB0C&pg=RA1-PA73&dq=jebel+teir#PRA1-PA72,M1 ] The island lacks a settled population, but some parts of the island have allowed for the seasonal presence of fishermen.cite news
last = Al-Ghabri
first = Ismail
title = Yemen's leisurely beaches require development
publisher = "Yemen Times"
date = 2006-05-22
url = http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=948&p=lastpage&a=1
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ]

History

In the past, the island, formerly known as Saiban,cite book
last = Ambraseys
first = Nicholas Nicholas
coauthors = Charles Peter Melville, Robin Dartrey Adams
title = The Seismicity of Egypt, Arabia, and the Red Sea: A Historical Review
publisher = Cambridge University Press
date = 1994
pages = 62
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=oajnMZurQwoC&pg=PA177&dq=Jabal+Tair++saiban&sig=99gNSysgRFnpgmquggDkQ55gWjA#PPA62,M1
isbn = 0521391202 ] was an important navigational marker for the shipping lanes that passed nearby. 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. [cite web
last = Rowlett
first = Russ
publisher = University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
url = http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/yem.htm
title = Lighthouses of Yemen
work = Lighthouse Directory
accessdate = 2007-10-01] 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. 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".cite book
last = Quéneudec
first = Jean-Pierre
coauthors = Permanent Court of Arbitration
title = The Eritrea-Yemen Arbitration Awards 1998 and 1999
publisher = Cambridge University Press
date = 2005
pages = 90
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=pJXhCJGvz4cC&pg=PA90&dq=jabal+tair&sig=MIRb7DjKypkSglPbDSBvCd5d9PI
isbn = 9067041793 ] The dispute, after Eritrea's 1993 independence from Ethiopia, erupted into the 1995 Hanish islands crisis regarding the Hanish Islands and Zuqar Island.cite news
last = Ghobari
first = Mohammed
title = Nine missing after volcano erupts off Yemen
publisher = "Reuters"
date = 2007-10-01
url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/01/AR2007100100112.html
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ] A 1998-99 international case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration awarded various islands to Eritrea and Yemen respectively.

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, at least one stream of 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.cite news
title = Three killed as volcano erupts
publisher = "CNN"
date =2007-10-01
url = http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/01/yemen.volcano/index.html
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ] cite news
last = Henry
first = Emma
title = Volcano erupts on Red Sea island
publisher = "The Daily Telegraph"
date = 2007-10-01
url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/01/wvolcano101.xml
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ] It was reported that the western part of the island, the location of the Yemeni military base, had collapsed.cite news
title = Volcano erupts on Red Sea island
publisher = "BBC News"
date = 2007-10-01
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7021596.stm
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ]

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.cite news
title = Red Sea volcano's 'catastrophic' eruption
publisher = "The Sydney Morning Herald"
date = 2007-10-01
url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/red-sea-volcanos-catastrophic-eruption/2007/10/01/1191091001007.html
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ] 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.cite press release
title = Standing NATO Maritime Group ONE Aids in Volcanic Eruption Search and Rescue
publisher = North Atlantic Treaty Organization
date = 2007-10-01
url = http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2007/p071001e.pdf
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ] 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. [cite news
title = Canadians aid dramatic rescue
author = Noor Javed
publisher = Toronto Star
date = 2007-10-02
url = http://www.thestar.com/News/article/262523
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ]

Several minor earthquakes ranging from 2 to 3.6 on the moment magnitude scale were reported near the island in the two weeks prior to the eruption. ["Yemen Observer": http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10013032.html ] cite web
title = Jebel at Tair - SI / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Reports
work = Global Volcanism Program
publisher = Smithsonian Institution
url = http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0201-01=&volpage=weekly
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ]

Earlier documented eruptions of this volcano include several reported in the 18th and 19th centuries, the most recent (before 2007) in 1883, and possibly one in 1332.cite web
title = Jebel at Tair
work = Global Volcanism Program
publisher = Smithsonian Institution
url = http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0201-01=
accessdate = 2007-10-01 ] A Yemeni government geologist expects the volcano to "take time to calm down", [cite news
url = http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74613
title = Red Sea volcano still active, say specialists
date = October 3 2007
publisher = IRIN
accessdate = 2007-10-01] but shipping, including tankers carrying 3 million barrels of oil, that pass through the Red Sea daily, have not been affected. [cite news
url = http://www.arabianbusiness.com/501549-yemen-volcano-erupts-again?ln=en
title = Yemen volcano erupts again
date = October 3 2007
work = Arabian Business
publisher = ITP Publishing Group
accessdate = 2007-10-01] In December it was reported that activity on the island had increased and fishermen were warned to avoid the area. [cite news
url=http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10013387.html
title= Jabl al-Tair volcano activity may threaten regional navigation
date = December 8 2007
publisher = Yemen Observer
accessdate = 2008-03-03]

References

External links

*VNUM|1=0201-01=|2=Jebel at Tair