Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Ararat.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Ararat.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Ararat.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

Agri Dagi | Buyuk Agri Dagi

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Karniyarik

Cone

Kucuk Ararat
Kucuk Agri Dagi

Cone

3925 m

39° 39' 0" N

44° 25' 0" E

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

213040

1840 CE

5,165 m / 16,946 ft

39.7°N
44.3°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Dacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Trachybasalt / Tephrite Basanite
Rhyolite

Tectonic Setting

Intraplate
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

25
1,239
135,563
2,811,646

Geological Summary

The double-peaked stratovolcano Mount Ararat, also known as Agri Dagi, is Turkey's highest, largest volume, and easternmost volcano. It is glacier-clad along with its twin volcano, Kucuk Ararat (or Lesser Ararat), and covers an area of 1000 km² at the eastern end of a SSW-ESE line of volcanoes extending from Nemrut Dagi. Construction of the Greater and Lesser Ararat volcanoes was followed by a period of extensive flank eruptions, many erupted along N-S fissures. The initial stage of flank eruptions produced a cluster of cinder cones and dacitic-rhyolitic lava domes surrounding Greater Ararat and a series of pyroclastic cones and domes on the W flank of Lesser Ararat. Late-stage activity formed large pyroclastic cones lower on the flanks of the two volcanoes. Ararat appears to have been active during the 3rd millennium BCE; pyroclastic-flow deposits overlie early Bronze Age artifacts and human remains. Karakhanian et al. (2002) reported historical evidence for a phreatic eruption and pyroclastic flow at the time of a July 1840 earthquake and landslide.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Blumenthal M M, van der Kaaden G, Vlodavetz V I, 1964. Turkey & Caucasus. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 17: 1-23.

Feraud J, Ozkocak O, 1993. Les volcans actifs de Turquie: guide geologique et itineraires de'excursions. L'Assoc Volc Europeenne (LAVE), 2: 1-82.

Haroutiunian R A, 2006. The historical volcanoes of Armenia and adjacent areas revisited. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 155: 334-337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.04.005

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Karakhanian A, Djrbashian R, Trifonov V, Philip H, Arakelian S, Avagian A, 2002. Holocene-historical volcanism and active faults as natural risk factors for Armenia and adjacent countries. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 113: 319-344. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-0273(01)00264-5

Karakhanian A, Jrbashyan R, Trifonov V, Philip H, Arakelian S, Avagyan A, Baghdassaryan H, Davtian V, 2006. Historical volcanoes of Armenia and adjacent areas: what is revisited?. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 155: 338-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.04.008

Karakhanian A, Jrbashyan R, Trifonov V, Philip H, Arakelian S, Avagyan A, Baghdassaryan H, Davtian V, Ghoukassyan Y, 2003. Volcanic hazards in the region of the Armenian nuclear power plant. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 126: 31-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-0273(03)00115-X

Lambert R S J, Holland J G, Owen P F, 1974. Chemical petrology of a suite of calc-alkaline lavas from Mount Ararat, Turkey. J Geol, 82: 419-438.

Pearce J A, Bender J F, de Long S E, Kidd W S F, Low P J, Guner Y, Saroglu F, Yilmaz Y, Moorbath S, Mitchell J G, 1990. Genesis of collision volcanism in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 44: 184-229.

Sapper K, 1917. Katalog der Geschichtlichen Vulkanausbruche. Strasbourg: Karl J Trubner, 358 p.

Yilmaz Y, Guner Y, Saroglu F, 1998. Geology of the Quaternary volcanic centers of the east Anatolia. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 85: 173-210.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 3 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1840 Jul 2 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 3 (?)

Episode 1 | Eruption

Upper northern flank

1840 Jul 2 - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 9 Events for Episode 1 at Upper northern flank

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow
- - - -	- - - -	Avalanche
- - - -	- - - -	Blocks
- - - -	- - - -	Lahar or Mudflow
- - - -	- - - -	Edifice Destroyed	Collapse/avalanche (small).
- - - -	- - - -	Property Damage
1840 Jul 2	- - - -	Fatalities
1840 Jul 2	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1783 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 \| Eruption
1783 - Unknown				Evidence from Unknown

[ 1450 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 \| Eruption
1450 - Unknown				Evidence from Unknown

0550 BCE Confirmed Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

Summit (?) and north flank

0550 BCE - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Anthropology

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at Summit (?) and north flank

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Avalanche
- - - -	- - - -	Earthquakes (undefined)	Time and Type Unknown.

2450 BCE ± 50 years Confirmed Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

NW flank

2450 BCE ± 50 years - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Anthropology

List of 5 Events for Episode 1 at NW flank

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Property Damage
2450 BCE	- - - -	Fatalities

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Ararat.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Ararat.

Photo Gallery

The snow-covered Mount Ararat massif is seen in the center of this 1992 Space Shuttle photo from the NE. The double-peaked stratovolcano is Turkey's highest, largest volume, and eastern-most volcano, near the borders with Armenia and Iran. Postglacial lava flows were erupted from flank fissures, and well-preserved craters are located on the flanks.

NASA Space Shuttle image, 1992 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).

This Space Shuttle image shows the massive 1,000 km³ snow-capped Ararat massif in March 2001. The N-trending feature descending at the top-center from the summit crater is Ahora Gorge. The conical peak of Kucuk Ararat (Lesser Ararat) is visible at the far right, and craters can be seen on the western flank of the massif at the left.

Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2001 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov).

Glacier-clad Mount Ararat, seen in this NASA International Space Station image, is Turkey's highest, largest volume, and easternmost volcano. Kucuk Ararat (or Lesser Ararat) lies across a saddle to the SE (right-center). Prominent lava flows with flow levees were erupted from flank vents between Greater and Lesser Ararat; one of these terminates in a fan-shaped lobe at the lower left. Pyroclastic-flow deposits from Ararat overlie early Bronze Age artifacts.

NASA International Space Station image ISS002-E-10032, 2001 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).

Snow-capped Mount Ararat is seen from the Khor Virap monastery in Armenia, NE of the volcano. Ararat, also known as Agri Dagi, is Turkey's highest and easternmost volcano, lying near the border with Armenia. Ararat appears to have been active during the 3rd millennium BCE; pyroclastic flow deposits overlie early Bronze Age artifacts and human remains.

Photo by Andrew Behesnilian (Wikimedia Commons).

Mount Ararat, or the Ağri Daği volcanic complex, in Turkey has two main edifices, Buyuk Ağrı near the center of this image and the smaller Kucuk Ağri to the SE, both seen in this October 2019 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top; this image is approximately 40 km across). Large recent lava flows form the darker areas to the S of the main glaciated cone.

Satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs Inc., 2019 (https://www.planet.com/).

Mount Ararat has two main edifices, the glaciated Buyuk Ağrı in the center and the smaller Kucuk Ağri to the SE of this October 2019 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top; this image is approximately 33 km across). The flanks are lava flows, lava domes, craters, and explosive deposits.

Satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs Inc., 2019 (https://www.planet.com/).

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

The following 1 samples associated with this volcano can be found in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences collections, and may be availble for research (contact the Rock and Ore Collections Manager). Catalog number links will open a window with more information.

Catalog Number	Sample Description	Lava Source	Collection Date
NMNH 52091-3	Andesite	--	--

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Ararat. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Ararat. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Ararat

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).