'Zombie' volcano believed to be extinct for 710,000 years now showing signs of life
There's another warning to add to your disaster alert list, with a supposedly dormant volcano in southeast Iran showing signs of life. The unusual thing about this particular mountain of molten lava is that it's been quiet for the past 710,000 years and was presumed dead. Now, this 'zombie' volcano is rumbling to life and is in danger of crawling out of its grave.
2025 has been a big one for volcanoes, with Hawaii's Kīlauea Volcano spewing lava, visitors being forced to flee down the slopes of Mount Etna, and fears that the Ring of Fire volcanoes could erupt in a deadly chain reaction. The legendary Nostradamus seemingly predicted Mount Etna blowing its top in 2024 or 2025, but have we been underestimating Iran's Mount Taftan?
With scientists warning that 'hundreds' of dormant volcanoes could be ready to erupt, Mount Taftan is making moves.
Volcanoes are classed as extinct if they haven't erupted since the Holocene Era that started 11,700 years ago, meaning Mount Taftan was considered well and truly deceased.
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Local reports in 2024 noted increased activity, like visible smoke and ash bubbling from the center of the crater, which is now said to be worsening.
Speaking to Live Science, volcanologist Pablo González has reiterated that we should consider Mount Taftan dormant instead of extinct: "Our findings reveal that Taftan is more active than previously recognized.”
There’s an urgent need to reassess the Makran subduction volcanic arc, which is a volcano chain that spans Iran and Pakistan. Notably, Taftan’s activity suggests that hazard evaluations might be ‘outdated’.
Even though it's not currently erupting, pressure is supposedly building under the ground of Mount Taftan and is in danger of bursting out violently in the future.
Over the past 10 months, the Mount Taftan summit has been releasing water vapor, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen fluoride. Sulfur dioxide emissions are currently averaging 20 tons every day.
Two larger gas events occurred on May 16 and 28 in 2024, although the latest findings were reported by a new satellite data method. The common-mode filter removes atmospheric interference and gives a much clearer picture of what's going on with the volcano.
Mount Taftan's western and eastern flanks have moved, but with the pattern of deformation not matching rainfall or earthquakes, González's team is adamant it was caused by what's going on inside the volcano. The study reiterates: "The absence of post-unrest reversed subsidence signals highlights the potential for persistent pressurization beneath the summit, suggesting that the Taftan volcano remains a hazardous area."
🌋 Iran’s Taftan volcano is waking after 700,000 years.
— Above The Norm News (@abovenormnews) October 17, 2025
Satellite data confirms nine centimeters of uplift and sulfur gas reaching 50 kilometers from the crater. #Taftan #IranVolcano pic.twitter.com/0xoReumBnr
Putting some of our fears to rest, González says there are no signs of an immediate eruption, adding that the study "doesn't aim to produce panic in the people." Instead, he said it's "a wake-up call to the authorities in the region in Iran to designate some resources to look at this."
The stratovolcano can be found in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province, near the Pakistan border.
Towering at 13,000 feet above sea level, it's the highest peak in the region and can be clearly seen by the Iranian city of Khash, which is 81 miles away. Other 'nearby' cities include the provincial capital of Zahedan (with a population of half a million), which lies 100 miles away.
We're told that if Mount Taftan erupts, communities could be greatly affected by ashfall, contaminated water supplies, and long-term fallout like crop damage and respiratory issues.
Even if González isn't worried for now, he says we need to keep a close eye on the volcano.