The volcano Taffetaalso known as Kuh-i-Tafthana formation in the south of Irannear the border with Pakistan, which was believed to have been extinct about 710,000 years ago, showed recent signs of activity and agitation. New research reveals that this sleeping giant could be awakening.
Taftan is a stratovolcano 3,940 meters highlocated in the southeast of Iran. It was formed due to the subduction of the Arabian oceanic crust under the Eurasian continent. Although it has no known eruption in human history, it currently hosts an active hydrothermal system and fumaroles that emit strong-smelling sulfur.
The most significant evidence of their recent turmoil is detailed in a investigation published on October 7 in the magazine Geophysical Research Letters. The study found that the ground near the top of the volcano rose nine centimeters over 10 months, from July 2023 to May 2024. This uplift has not yet subsided, suggesting a buildup of gas pressure beneath the volcano’s surface.
Concern intensified in 2023, when local residents began reporting gas emissions on social networks. These gases were so intense that they could be smelled from the city of Khashlocated about 50 kilometers away.
The study found that the ground near the volcano’s summit rose nine centimeters over 10 months. Photo: Geophysical Research Letters.The discovery was made by Mohammadhossein Mohammadniaa PhD student working with volcanologist Pablo Gonzalez at the Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC). Mohammadnia examined satellite images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 mission. Taftan Volcano is remote and does not have a GPS monitoring system like those found on volcanoes like Mount St. Helen’s.
Mohammadnia estimated that the driving force of this uplift is between 490 and 630 meters below the surface. The researchers ruled out external factors such as nearby earthquakes or rain. The volcano’s main magma reservoir lies much deeper, more than 3.5 kilometers.
The awakening of Taftan: a new volcanic threat in Iran
They put forward two main hypotheses about what would cause the uprising. On the one hand, a change in underground hydrothermal system which leads to gas buildup. On the other hand, a small amount of magma may have movedwhich would allow gases to bubble into the upper rocks. This, in turn, increases the pressure in the pores and fractures of the rocks and causes the soil to rise slightly.
Previously, Taftan was considered extinct, since volcanoes are classified as such if they did not erupt during the Holocene era, which began 11,700 years ago. However, the lead author of the study, Pablo González, indicated that, given the recent activity, Taftan should now be more accurately described as «latent».
In dialogue with Live ScienceGonzález pointed out that This buildup of pressure «has to be released somehow in the future, whether violently or more quietly.». However, the volcanologist clarified that there is no reason to fear an imminent eruption, but emphasized that the volcano must be monitored more closely, since it was not previously considered a risk to the population.
González concluded that the objective of the study is not to generate panic in people, but to serve as «a call to attention to the authorities of the region in Iran to designate some resources to monitor this.» The next stage of the research will involve collaboration with scientists specialized in monitoring volcanic gases.
