The Taftan volcano in Iran appears to be reawakening following a dormancy of 700,000 years.(Image credit: mohammad aaref barahouei/Alamy)
A volcanic mountain in southern Iran, formerly regarded as extinct for approximately 710,000 years, has shown signs of activity.
Recent investigations, documented on Oct. 7 within the journal Geophysical Research Letters, have discovered that an area of terrain in the vicinity of Taftan volcano’s peak elevated 3.5 inches (9 centimeters) across a 10-month span between July 2023 and May 2024. As the land hasn’t descended yet, this hints at an accumulation of gas tension underneath the volcano’s crust.
The outcomes underscore the necessity for more detailed observation of the volcano, which, in the past, wasn’t deemed a danger to the public, expressed study lead author Pablo González, a volcanologist associated with the Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology, a Spanish National Research Council center (IPNA-CSIC). Volcanoes are traditionally categorized as extinct if they haven’t undergone an eruption during the Holocene Epoch, commencing 11,700 years prior. Given the latest indications, González proposed that “dormant” might be a more precise term to describe Taftan.
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“The pent-up pressure has to dissipate sometime in the future, whether dramatically or calmly,” González communicated to Live Science. He clarified that there’s no cause for fearing an imminent eruption, though enhanced observation of the volcano is warranted.
Taftan volcano is a stratovolcano reaching 12,927 feet (3,940 meters) in southeastern Iran, nestled among a cluster of mountains and volcanoes birthed by the descent of the Arabian oceanic plate beneath the Eurasian landmass. Presently, the volcano supports a lively hydrothermal arrangement alongside reeking, sulfur-emitting gas vents referred to as fumaroles, however, historical records don’t indicate any past eruptions during human history.
When Mohammadhossein Mohammadnia, a doctoral apprentice under González’s guidance at IPNA-CSIC, originally probed satellite images of the volcano back in 2020, he noticed hardly any evidence of activity. However, in 2023, the public began documenting gaseous discharges from the volcano through social media platforms. The odor stemming from these emissions could be detected as far as Khash city, roughly 31 miles (50 kilometers) away.
Mohammadnia reassessed satellite images gathered by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 initiative, which offers continuous surveillance of Earth’s surface. Taftan, being situated in a remote locale, lacks a GPS surveillance infrastructure akin to those employed on volcanoes like Mount St. Helen’s; further complicating matters, the zone presents hazards attributed to insurgent activity and border disputes linking Iran and Pakistan. The satellite imagery brought to light a slight elevation of the terrain near the peak, implying magnified subterranean pressure.
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Mohammadnia approximated that this rising motion originates from a point situated 1,608 to 2,067 feet (490 to 630 m) beneath the surface. While pinpointing the precise dynamics remains beyond current possibilities, the researchers were successful in eliminating outside influences, for example, proximal quakes or rainfall, Mohammadnia revealed to Live Science. The volcano’s molten rock chamber is located over 2 miles (3.5 km) deep — markedly deeper than the source of the lift.
Alternatively, the uplift arises either from transformations in the subterranean hydrothermal network that induce gas accumulation or from a minute volume of magma repositioning below the volcano, which enables gases to permeate into the overlying rock layers, intensifying the stress within the rock pores alongside breaches and subsequently, instigating a modest swelling of the ground.
González highlighted that the subsequent research phase will encompass collaborations with scientists specializing in volcanic gas surveillance.
“The purpose of this research is not to incite public fear,” he stated. “Instead, its role is to serve as a call to action for regional authorities within Iran, encouraging the allocation of resources toward its study.”
Stephanie PappasSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor
Stephanie Pappas is a contributing journalist for Live Science, addressing subjects spanning geoscience, archaeology, in addition to the human mind and conduct. She previously held the role of senior writer for Live Science but is presently operating as a freelancer based out of Denver, Colorado, contributing regularly to Scientific American along with The Monitor, the monthly publication of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina, along with a graduate certification in science communication originating from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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