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Damavand Volcano | John Seach
Mazandaran Province, Iran
35.951 N, 52.109 E
summit elevation 5670 m
Stratovolcano
Mt Damavand is located 70 km NE of Tehran and 70 km south of the Caspian Sea. It is the second highest volcano in Asia. The highest volcano in Asia is Kunlun in Tibet.
The volcano contains a volume of 400 cubic km and overlies the active fold and thrust belt of the Alborz Mountains.
Mt Damavand Volcano, Iran - John Seach
Tehran, Iran - John Seach
Persepolos, Iran
Shiraz, Iran
Shiraz, Iran
The incidence of acute mountain sickness in climbers of Mt Damavand is 60%, based on a study of 459 climbers in 2000.
Eruptions at Damavand volcano
No historical eruptions have occurred at Damavand. Active fumaroles at the summit indicate the potential for future eruptions. Eruptions began 1.78 million years ago at Damavand. The current cone of Damavand produced eruptions from 7000 years to 600,000 years ago.
The slopes of the volcano comprise trachyandesite lava flows. Two periods of eruptive activity have been identified (1.78 Ma-800ka and 500 ka-7.3 ka), separated by a period of quiescence. One significant ignimbrite eruption has been identified, though pyroclastic eruptions have been small and infrequent. Debris avalanche deposits suggest that one or more sector collapse events have occurred at the volcano.
The eruptive style at Damavand has remained the same throughout the volcano's two million year history despite one or more sector collapse events and the formation of a second cone overlying the old eroded cone.
Further reading
Zelenski, M., Chaplygin, I., Farhadian, M., Taran, Y., Campion, R., Mehrabi, B., Shakeri, A. and Delavari, M., 2019, January. Volcanic gas emissions from Taftan and Damavand, the Iranian volcanoes. In Geophysical Research Abstracts (Vol. 21).
Davidson, J., Hassanzadeh, J., Berzins, R., Stockli, D.F., Bashukooh, B., Turrin, B. and Pandamouz, A., 2004. The geology of Damavand volcano, Alborz Mountains, northern Iran. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 116(1-2), pp.16-29.
Damavand Volcano Eruptions
~ 5350 BC