A volcano in Iran called Taftan is showing signs of life after being quiet for about 700,000 years. Taftan, an almost 4,000-meter-high mountain, is located in southeastern Iran, near the border with Pakistan.
For a very long time, Taftan was thought to be extinct, but in 2023 and 2024, scientists noticed something unusual: the ground near the top of the volcano started to rise. This indicated that pressure was building up under the volcano, probably from hot gases or magma.
Even though scientists say that an eruption is not likely at the moment, Taftan could become active again in the future. Scientists are monitoring the volcano from satellites and looking for changes on the ground and for gases coming out of the volcano.
Taftan Volcano in Iran
Image: Amirhossein Nikroo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Words
- border = line between two countries
- eruption = outbreak
- even though = while
- extinct = not erupt any more
- indicate = show
- located = to be found
- magma = hot, melted rock below the surface of the Earth
- monitor = watch closely
- pressure = force, power
- rise = move up
- scientist = a person who is trained in science and works in a lab
- unusual = not normal