Taftan Volcano

Taftan Volcano Latest News

New research shows that Taftan volcano in Iran seems to be waking up after a 700,000-year-long sleep.

About Taftan Volcano

• It is a 12,927-foot (3,940 meters) semi-active stratovolcano located in southeastern Iran, 56 km from the Pakistan border.
• It is the only active volcano in the Makran continental volcanic arc.
• It is situated among a rumple of mountains and volcanoes that was formed by the subduction of the Arabian ocean crust under the Eurasian continent. 
• It hosts an active hydrothermal system and smelly, sulfur-emitting vents called fumaroles.
• The volcano contains two summits (Narkuh and Matherkuh).
• It isn’t known to have erupted in human history.

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What is a Stratovolcano?

• It is a tall, steep, and cone-shaped type of volcano.
• Unlike flat shield volcanoes, they have higher peaks.
• They are typically found above subduction zones, and they are often part of large volcanically active regions, such as the Ring of Fire that frames much of the Pacific Ocean.
• Stratovolcanoes comprise the largest percentage (~60%) of the Earth’s individual volcanoes, and most are characterized by eruptions of andesite and dacite, lavas that are cooler and more viscous than basalt.
• These more viscous lavas allow gas pressures to build up to high levels. Therefore, these volcanoes often suffer explosive eruptions. 
• They are usually about half-half lava and pyroclastic material, and the layering of these products gives them their other common name of composite volcanoes.
• At the peak, stratovolcanoes usually have a small crater.

Source: LS