A volcano in southeastern Iran, which has been quiet for 700,000 years, is showing signs of life. Mount Taftan, located near the Iran-Pakistan border, has started to swell.
Between July 2023 and May 2024, the ground near its summit rose by about 3.5 inches. Scientists discovered this change using satellites from the European Space Agency that can detect tiny movements in the Earth’s surface.
The ground has not returned to normal, which means pressure is still building underneath the volcano. This is the first time in hundreds of thousands of years that the mountain has shown this kind of activity.
People living in Khash, a city about 30 miles from the volcano, first noticed something was wrong in early 2023. They reported a strong, sulfur-like smell, reminiscent of rotten eggs, drifting through their neighborhoods. Scientists later confirmed that the volcano was releasing approximately 20 tons of sulfur dioxide gas daily, along with carbon dioxide and other volcanic gases.
Local officials also noted that steam often escapes from the volcano’s peak, especially after rain or snow. These gas emissions suggest that hot fluids, possibly magma, are heating groundwater deep inside the mountain, causing gases to escape through cracks in the rock.
What Scientists Are Saying
Scientists no longer consider Mount Taftan extinct; they now classify it as dormant, meaning the volcano is not permanently inactive and could become active again.
Volcanologist Pablo González, who led the research, explained that gas is accumulating approximately 500 to 600 meters below the summit. “This persistent swelling means the pressure has to release somehow in the future, whether gently or violently,” González said.
González emphasized that the volcano does not pose an immediate threat of eruption; however, scientists must monitor it closely to watch for any changes. “This study doesn’t aim to produce panic in the people. It’s a wake-up call to the authorities in the region in Iran to designate some resources to look at this,” he added.
Because Mount Taftan is in a remote and politically unstable area, it isn’t easy to monitor on the ground. There are no earthquake sensors or gas detectors installed at the volcano, which are standard at many active volcanoes around the world.
Instead, scientists rely on satellite technology called Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), which can measure ground movements as small as a few centimeters. This same technology has been used successfully in Iceland to predict eruptions and protect communities.
Social media posts from residents about sulfur smells and steam plumes also helped alert scientists to the volcano’s activity, demonstrating the importance of local observations when formal monitoring is absent.
Risks and What Could Happen
Taftan’s awakening is part of a larger pattern. Scientists around the world have witnessed extinct volcanoes erupt unexpectedly, surprising researchers who once believed these volcanoes would never become active again. For example, Alaska’s Fourpeaked volcano erupted in 2006 after being quiet for more than 10,000 years.
Mount Taftan was formed approximately 700,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene era. It sits atop the Makran Subduction Zone, where two massive sections of the Earth’s crust are colliding. One plate is slowly sliding beneath the other, creating the heat and magma that can fuel volcanoes.
If Taftan were to erupt, the risks for nearby communities would be severe. Ash could spread over cities like Khash and Zahedan, contaminating water supplies and making it hard to breathe.
Hazardous gases could be released into the air, and in the worst-case scenario, fast-moving pyroclastic flows or mudslides could pose a threat to lives and buildings. Scientists are urging authorities to improve monitoring of the volcano and update hazard maps for the region.
Taftan now reminds people that even dormant volcanoes, which can remain inactive for hundreds of thousands of years, can erupt, so communities must prepare for this possibility.