This Volcano Has Been Dormant for Over 700,000 Years — Now, It’s Showing Signs of Waking Up
Imagine a distant volcano that hasn't erupted for centuries starts showing signs of activation. A scary yet amusing picture! The Taftan volcano, located near the border of Pakistan, had been inactive for a whopping 700,000 years. However, when scientists noticed that the land was elevated in the area, they began to dig deeper. According to research published in the Geophysical Research Letters journal, the ground near the volcano's summit rose 3.5 inches between July 2023 and May 2024. The elevation has not receded, indicating pressure buildup and volcanic activities below the surface.
The 12,927-foot stratovolcano is located in southeastern Iran. It sits amongst mountains and volcanoes that were formed by the subduction of the Arabian Ocean crust. Today, it consists of an active hydrothermal system and vents called fumaroles that emit pungent and toxic sulfur. According to the study's senior author, Pablo González, the volcano had never been a cause for concern until recently. The volcanologist further insisted that close monitoring of the volcano has to be done moving forward.
The sudden activation of Taftan has raised questions about its state. According to Live Science, volcanoes are considered extinct if they have remained dormant in the Holocene era, which is 11,700 years ago. Technically, the 700,000-year-old Taftan volcano would fall under the extinct category. However, given its recent activity, the Iranian volcano has been labeled dormant. González suggested that despite its activation, the volcano wouldn't erupt out of the blue and would take its sweet time. "It has to release somehow in the future, either violently or more quietly," he told the outlet.
In 2020, Mohammadhossein Mohammadnia, a doctoral student working under González at IPNA-CSIC, observed satellite images of the volcano. But he didn't spot anything unusual, so the focus quickly shifted. However, in 2023, people complained about a gaseous emission from the Taftan and reported it on social media. The stinky emission could be smelled about 31 miles away, and the volcano was back in the limelight. The researcher again observed the satellite imagery from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 mission and noticed a rise in the ground near the summit.
The researcher noticed that the deformity of the ground lies about 1600 to 2000 feet below the surface, quite above the magma reservoir of the volcano. However, he couldn't figure out the exact reason behind the uplift. Mohammadnia told the outlet that external factors like nearby earthquakes or rainfall certainly didn't contribute to the rise. The contributing factor could be the buildup of gas. Another possibility is that a small portion of magma must have slipped beneath the volcano, causing the gas to bubble up and enter the rock pores. These bubbles created pressure that likely pushed the ground a few inches above.
Taftan's movements are tough to record as it does not have a GPS monitoring system like other volcanoes. The area is quite sensitive due to insurgent groups and border conflicts between Iran and Pakistan. Therefore, this discovery about Taftan is a major win for scientists. González revealed that the team has already laid out the next step of the research. They will now collaborate with scientists who have expert knowledge of gas monitoring at volcanoes. "This study doesn't aim to produce panic in the people," he said. "It's a wake-up call to the authorities in the region in Iran to designate some resources to look at this," he added.
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