A volcano that hasn't erupted in hundreds of thousands of years has begun to show unusual signs of activity, raising questions among scientists about what's happening beneath the surface.

It's Taftan, a remote stratovolcano about 3.940 meters above sea level, located near the border between Iran and Pakistan. According to a study published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters in November 2025, the volcano's peak rose by about 9 centimeters between July 2023 and May 2024. What surprised the researchers was the fact that this uplift of the terrain was not accompanied by earthquakes, unusual rainfall or other visible signs that usually precede such changes.

Scientists believe the deformation may have been caused by increased pressure within Taftan's hydrothermal system - a network of hot water and gases that circulate beneath the surface, at a depth of about 490 to 630 meters below the summit. This discovery places Taftan in the category of volcanoes that are considered dormant but still geologically active.

Satellites revealed what was not visible from the ground
Due to its isolated location in one of the least populated areas of Iran, Taftan does not have a continuous network of seismometers, gas sensors, or GPS stations on the ground.

The key data came from space using InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology, which allows the detection of very small movements of the Earth's surface by comparing radar images taken by satellites at different times. The researchers used data from the European Copernicus program's Sentinel-1 satellites, which can monitor the surface even through clouds and in the dark. The analysis showed that the rise of almost 10 centimeters was concentrated near the volcano's summit and remained stable throughout the observation period. A volcano with an unclear history of eruptions

Taftan has a very rare history of documented activity. There are only two historical reports of possible eruptions, but both remain uncertain.

In 1902, strong gas emissions and nighttime lighting were reported, while in 1993, a lava flow was mentioned. However, later analyses suggest that it may have been molten sulfur rather than volcanic lava. What has been confirmed over the years is the activity of fumaroles – fissures from which hot gases emerge and which have covered parts of the peak with sulfur and altered clay.

What is causing the rise?

Scientists have two main hypotheses. The first is that gases from a deeper magmatic system may have collected in cracks in rocks near the surface, exerting pressure and raising the terrain. The second hypothesis is that a small amount of partially molten material may have released gases into shallower levels of the hydrothermal system.

However, researchers emphasize that there is no evidence that new magma is approaching the surface and that there are currently no signs of an imminent eruption.

The study's lead author, Pablo J. González of the Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology of the Spanish National Research Council, said the discovery should not cause panic, but should serve as a signal to authorities. "It should be released somehow in the future, either violently or more quietly. This study is not intended to cause panic in people. It is a wake-up call for authorities in the region to allocate resources to investigate this," he said.

The study recommends setting up a dedicated monitoring network at Taftan, with volcanic gas sensors, seismometers and GPS equipment. Combining ground-based data with satellite monitoring will allow scientists to understand whether the pressure under the volcano is decreasing or continuing to increase. According to the World Volcanism Program, about 191.700 people live within a 100-kilometer radius of Taftan, making its monitoring an important safety issue.

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