The Andaman Archipelago

Abstract

The Andaman Archipelago of the north-eastern Indian Ocean is made up of more than 570 islands and islets, formed along the convergent margin of the Indian and Burmese Plates. These islands are either located on the accretionary prism or on the volcanic arc of the subduction zone. Began forming more than 20 Ma ago the archipelago is home to some of the spectacular and scientifically significant tectonic, volcanic, coastal and erosional landforms. This chapter describes some of these landforms and discusses the current views on their origin and evolution.