Damavand Volcano
Updated: Aug 22, 2025 13:45 GMT -
stratovolcano
Mazandaran Province, Iran, 35.95°N / 52.11°E 
Summit height: 5670 m / 18,602 ft
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Conical snow-capped Damavand volcano is the highest volcano in the Middle East. It towers dramatically 70 km to the NE above Iran's capital city of Tehran. Activity at the 5670-m-high stratovolcano has been dominated by lava effusion. Young lava flows erupted from the summit vent blanket the western side of the volcano, and the youngest dated lava flows were erupted about 7000 years ago. Photo by Arad Mojtahedi, 2006 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Damavand_in_winter.jpg)
Damavand volcano is a majestic stratovolcano located 70 km NE of Tehran and 70 km south of the Caspian Sea. Mt Damavand is the highest peak in the Middle East and the second highest volcano in Asia (after Kunlun volcano in Tibet).
Damavand last erupted about 7,300 years ago. There are no historical eruptions, but fumaroles at the summit crater suggest that the volcano is still active.
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Damavand volcano eruptions: 5350 BC ± 200 years
Latest nearby earthquakes
| Date and Time | Mag / Depth | Distance / Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Background
Damavand is located on the tectonically active thrust and fold belt of the Alborz Mountains.It is a massive stratovolcano with a volume of about 400 cubic kilometers and consists of a younger cone that was constructed during the past 600,000 years above an older, 1.78 million years old edifice, remnants of which were previously thought to be part of a caldera.
Damavand has onlyu few flank vents. Most activity has been from the summit crater, which has erupted a series of radial lava flows, mostly of trachyandesite composition. Most eruptions of Damavand seen to have been effusive, and only one significant explosive dposit is known, a welded ignimbrite that was produced about about 280,000 years ago.
The latest activity occurred about 7300 years ago and produced lava flows from the summit crater that cover the western flank.
Significant volcanic eruptions: Damavand volcano
No historic eruptions are known from Damavand volcano, but at least one eruption around 5350 BC can be inferred from geological evidence.
The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Damavand volcano in historic times and during the past 10,000 years. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Damavand can be found on the news page of Damavand volcano.
| Date | Note | VEI | Deaths | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? | |||||
Remark:
Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution
Damavand Volcano FAQ
+When was the last eruption of Damavand volcano?
The last confirmed eruption of Damavand occurred around 5350 BC.
Latest satellite images
Damavand Volcano Maps
Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (world scale)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (world scale)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (region scale large)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (region scale large)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (region scale medium)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (region scale medium)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (region scale small)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (region scale small)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (local scale large)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (local scale large)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (local scale medium)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (local scale medium)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (local scale small)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (local scale small)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (scale of 10s of km)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (scale of 10s of km)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (scale of 20-40 km)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (scale of 20-40 km)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (scale of approx. 10-20 km)
Terrain-type map of Damavand volcano (scale of approx. 10-20 km)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (scale of 5-10 km)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Damavand volcano (scale of few kilometers)
