Tskhouk-Karckar volcano is a group of 8 Holocene cinder cones in the central Siunik volcanic ridge along the Armenia/Azerbaijan border about 60 km SE of Lake Sevan. The last activity took place about 5000 years ago, and built a cone which erupted lava flows. These flows overly older human settlement traces and were used for gravesites in the first half of the 3rd millennium BC.

The Tskhouk-Karckar volcano group was constructed within offset segments of the major Pambak-Sevan strike-slip fault trending SE from Lake Sevan. 8 pyroclastic cones produced 3 generations of Holocene lava flows.

Human traces dated are found on the 2 older generation lava flows, including many petroglyphs, burial kurgans, and masonry walls. No such traces have been found on the youngest flows, suggesting they erupted later than these early settlements and human activities.

Some lava flows overlie petroglyphs dated to the end of the 4th millennium and beginning of the 3rd millennium BC and were themselves used in gravesites dated at 4720 +/- 140 yrs ago. Following these eruptions, the area was not repopulated until the Middle Ages.

(adapted from: GVP / Smithsonian Institution)



Further reading:

Karakhanian, A et al (2002) "Holocene-historical volcanism and active faults as natural risk factors for Armenia and adjacent countries", J Volc Geotherm Res, v. 113, pp. 319-344