The Volcano Park is located in the departments of Cantal and Puy-de-Dome in the Auvergne region (south-central France). This is France's largest regional natural park, where you can see the ridges of extinct volcanoes crossing the park area.

Many visitors limit themselves to a short visit to see the peaks of the Puy de Dome and Puy Marie; we suggest you take a longer walk to discover the beauty of this relatively unexplored corner of France.

Regions of the Volcanoes Park

The park, stretching for more than 100 kilometers from north to south, can be clearly divided into the following areas:

Chaine des Puys

This extensive network of volcanoes extends to the north of the park, running through the heart of the Massif Central (west of Clermont-Ferrand). Chêne-de-Puy has almost 100 peaks and summits, among which is the Puy-de-Dôme, the highest and most visited peak, which is a symbol of the Auvergne. It's easy to get to and has great views from the top.

Some 10-20 thousand years ago, volcanoes formed these amazing mountains. About six mountains are dome-shaped, and numerous craters can also be seen here. Most of these dome-shaped hills are covered with forests. You may have even seen their images on advertisements for the popular Volvic water.

Monts du Cantal

This mountain range extends to the south of the park; includes the popular Puy Marie, a 1,783 meter high viewpoint favored by tourists for gazing at the surrounding area and listed as one of France's great natural attractions. About 600,000 tourists visit it every year. Plome du Cantal (the highest point in the Cantal mountains at 1855 meters) is also in this chain, as is Puy Griou.

Monts Dore

The Mont Dore area is located around the mountain peak, Puy de Sancy (behind the city and ski resort Mont-Dore); this place known for its breathtaking natural beauty valleys and picturesque lakes.

Sezaye and Artens

These areas, although located on the border of the Volcanoes Park, are extremely rocky; there are rough, wrinkled plateaus that are even more evocative of volcanoes than the areas where the volcanoes are located.
Sezaya offers a landscape of open, scenic pastures and untouched natural beauty. The Artens region is characterized by a mixed natural design: here you will see mainly forests and lakes.

By the way: last eruption The volcano occurred here about 7,000 years ago, when primitive man had already firmly established himself in the territory of future France.

Why come here?

Landscapes

Of course due to the breathtaking scenery and lovers active tourism; Some tourists limit themselves to a quick inspection of the Puy de Dome peak, while others prefer long climbs into the mountains, enjoying the views of the peaks flying upward and the valleys spread out under their feet.

The location of the Volcanoes Park is ideal for lovers active rest, there is something to do here all year round; climbing the mountains cycling routes, horseback riding, kayaking, paraplaning, fishing, and, of course, skiing in winter.

Cities and villages

For now, the volcanic region is home to its towns and villages; however, there is a lot to see here - we suggest visiting Saler, which is referred to as "the most charming village in France"; Saint-Flour and Saint-Nectaire are very typical Auvergne towns. Also worth a visit thermal spas and ski villages, such as the town of Mont-Dore.

You will also find a variety of castles, which abound near the Volcano Park, such as Morol, Pesteils and Anjony.

Vulcania

Vulcania Park is very popular theme park, where you will be told about the volcanic past of the region; At the same time, the educational part of the visit is flavored with entertainment.

The structure of the earth is directly related not only to tectonic earthquakes, but also to volcanic eruptions, often accompanied by significant earthquakes. Earthquakes that occur during volcanic eruptions are so frequent that almost all people are sure that volcanoes are the cause of earthquakes. This was the opinion of ancient Greek philosophers who studied the widespread occurrence of earthquakes and volcanoes in the Mediterranean. A small island still exists in the Tyrrhenian Sea in the group of Aeolian Islands. The name of this island is Vulcano. The ancient Greeks saw clouds of black smoke, columns of fire, and hot stones thrown to great heights from the top of the mountain, which occupied a large area of ​​the island. This island was considered by the Greeks and Romans to be the entrance to hell and the possession of the god of fire and blacksmithing, Vulcan. Today, seismologists classify volcanic earthquakes as a special group, since volcanic eruptions are not always accompanied by an earthquake. All volcanoes are divided into two groups - active, dying or dormant and extinct. But scientists themselves consider this gradation to be very shaky and relative.

Extinct and dormant volcanoes

Extinct volcanoes are volcanoes that erupted in times long past, and about whose activity there is simply no information preserved. On Earth, the number of extinct volcanoes is much greater than the number of active and dying ones. Some of the extinct ones were active in the recent past, others ended their lives in more distant times. Some of them have retained the shape of a regular cone, just like most volcanoes usually have a cone shape with gentle slopes at the base and steeper slopes at the tops. The top of such a cone is crowned deep depression with steep walls, creating an abyss shaped like a giant bowl. Due to its similarity to a bowl, the volcano’s cavity was called a crater. Сrater is a Latin term borrowed by the ancient Romans from the ancient Greek word for “mix.” Thus, the word "krater" is translated as an ancient vessel for mixing wine with water. Since the ancients did not drink pure wine, considering such drinking to be the lot of barbarians and slaves, and always diluted it with water, when constantly drinking diluted wine instead of juice, they needed large bowls for mixing wine with water. In short, a volcanic crater is a bowl-shaped depression on the top or slope of a volcanic cone.

Currently, there are volcanoes whose activity can be described as “decaying”. These volcanoes help to understand the processes that occurred with extinct volcanoes. Since volcanism is a dynamic phenomenon, then, therefore, like any dynamics, volcanism has a beginning, development and ending in its existence. All volcanoes change after their emergence and undergo a number of transformations. They either “fall asleep”, collapsing, then “wake up” again, smoking, but they live only as long as there is a sufficient amount of volcanic energy in their underground foci. With a decrease in energy, the activity of the volcano begins to lose dynamics and dies. The volcano fades and falls asleep. And even during the period of falling asleep, jets of gases and water vapor can be released from the crater, which, settling on the walls of the crater, often form rocks, mostly clayey or alunite. When the energy is completely exhausted, the volcano stops all activity and its active life ends. The volcano is extinct.

In our country, the remains of ancient volcanoes can be seen in the Caucasus, Crimea, Transbaikalia, Kamchatka and other places. However, local earthquakes sometimes occur under extinct volcanoes, indicating that at any moment these volcanoes can “wake up” and become active. Such extinct, but suddenly awakened volcanoes include the Bezymianny and Academy of Sciences volcanoes in Kamchatka. Nameless woke up in 1956, the Academy of Sciences - in 1997. Volcano St. Helens in the USA (1980) is also among those who have awakened. These volcanoes were considered long extinct, and their awakening was unexpected and powerful. It was marked powerful eruption a huge number of volcanic formations. After the awakening of Mount St. Helens, the US Geological Survey established observations of 16 “sleeping” volcanoes in the states of Washington, California, Hawaii, and Alaska. In addition, by entering into collaboration with scientists from Iceland and Latin America, the Americans established observations of extinct volcanoes in Iceland, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Ecuador. On the territory of Russia, active and potentially active (“dormant”) include numerous volcanoes of the Kuril-Kamchatka island arc, as well as volcanoes of the Elbrus and Kazbek groups.

The peaks of Kazbek and Elbrus are covered with sparkling eternal snow and glaciers. Volcanologists are constantly monitoring the extinct volcanoes of the Greater Caucasus, especially after the unexpected awakening of the Kamchatka Bezymianny volcano. But the volcanic activity of, for example, Elbrus leaves no doubt: gases are constantly oozing from the crater of the Eastern peak (5621 meters), at the foot of the mountain, at a distance of several tens of kilometers, so-called “mineral” waters gush out, that is, waters saturated with gases and mineral salts, the origin of which is undoubtedly related to saturation groundwater evaporations of gases from boiling magma, such as the well-known Narzan or Essentuki.

Elbrus Volcano is such a powerful natural structure that its eruption can only be catastrophic. If it happens, it will be felt not only by residents of the Caucasus, Crimea, Stavropol and Krasnodar territories, but also by Ukraine, all of Europe, and Asia. The proportions of Elbrus speak for themselves: the height of the Western peak is 5642 meters, the Eastern peak is 5621 meters, the saddle between the peaks is at an altitude of 5416 meters. The diameter of the base of Elbrus is about 18 kilometers. This is a young volcano of the Caucasus. It can be classified as an active but dormant volcano. The huge mountain is covered with a hundred-meter-high ice shell; glaciers flow from the top, feeding the rivers of the Kuban, Malki, and Baksan basins. Here the weather can change in a matter of minutes. In the heat of August at the top of Elbrus it is -20 degrees and there is always a strong wind. The oxygen content is low, and this fact requires preliminary preparation and acclimatization to prevent altitude sickness.

The volcanoes of Kamchatka are also constantly monitored by scientific volcanologists, who have branched off from scientific geologists and the science of geology into a separate independent subject of science: volcanology. The observation is carried out on the basis of a volcanological observatory station located in Kamchatka near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the village of Klyuchi, on the slope of the Avacha volcano, which is located at the very foot of the Klyuchevsky volcano. Despite the fact that it is dangerous to live in the vicinity of volcanoes, villages and even cities almost always grow there. Such are Naples near Vesuvius, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the zone of the Kuril-Kamchatka hills, cities and villages of Sicily, constantly suffering from the eruption of Mount Etna, and many, many others...

The study of extinct and dormant volcanoes helps to understand how molten masses and magmas penetrate into the solid crust of the earth and what happens from the contact of magma with rocks. As one would expect, chemical processes usually occurred at the places where magma contacted rocks, resulting in the formation of mineral ores - deposits of iron, copper, zinc and other metals. In addition, the jets of water vapor and volcanic gases escaping from the crater carry some chemicals with them to the surface in a dissolved and gaseous state. Therefore, in the cracks of the crater and near it, deposits of sulfur, ammonia, and boric acid are found, which are always necessary in industry. How can we get by without building cities... Among other things, on its own volcanic ash- an excellent fertilizer for plants, containing many compounds of the elements of potassium, nitrogen, etc., and over time turning into fertile soils. Therefore, gardens are planted near volcanoes and fields are cultivated.

In addition to practical benefits, the study of extinct, ancient and already destroyed volcanoes allows volcanologists to accumulate a lot of interesting and useful information not only for the study of volcanoes, but also for geology in general. The study of ancient volcanoes, active tens of millions of years ago and almost level with the surface of the Earth, helps to understand a lot. For example, the study of volcanic activity on the territory of the Kuril ridge helps us understand the formation of the Kuril ridge itself, and many other ridges, such as Ural ridge and a number of others.

This happened among the ancient Devonian sea, which covered the area for about 300 million years, where the Eurasian continent emerged from Pangea with Ural ridge dividing Europe from Asia. Modern geology is able to trace ancient processes in the Earth's crust through traces left by natural disasters. Geologists identify layers of cracks and faults at the bend of the earth's crust, which was previously an underwater platform. Magma repeatedly rose from the depths of the sea along cracks and faults. Its underwater eruptions, as lava accumulated from the bottom of the sea to the surface of the water, were replaced by surface volcanoes, which formed the islands, i.e. The result is the same picture that is now observed at the border Sea of ​​Okhotsk with the Pacific Ocean. The volcanoes of the Urals, along with the eruptions of lava, also ejected a mass of clastic volcanic material, which settled in the eruption area, expanding the area of ​​the volcanic island and closing the gaps between the islands. Thus, the volcanic islands gradually connected with each other. This unification was helped, of course, by the movements of the earth’s crust and some other processes, as a result of the combined influence of which the Ural mountain range arose, so rich in gems and copper ores.

Active volcanoes

Most modern active volcanoes are located in the Himalayan-Alpine belt and the Pacific "Ring of Fire". Terrestrial and currently active volcanoes include, according to various estimates, from 300 to 500 volcanoes. Of these, from 5 to 15 are active every month, releasing hot gases and lava. Active volcanoes sometimes “sleep” for several years or even decades. But hot gases and lava continue to bubble in their depths. Sometimes, due to the active seething of lava in the depths of the volcano, a volcanic tremer (volcanic tremor) occurs, causing several series of small earthquakes.

When, under the influence of processes occurring in the mantle and core, magma moves upward, it presses on the Earth’s crust, like steam from boiling water on the lid of a kettle, and the lid seems to “dance” and tremble if there is an excess of water in the kettle. Like steam from under the lid of a kettle, hot lava gases escape from under the rocks that litter the crater floor, from crevices and cracks on the floor and slopes of the crater. Vapors of hot underground waters and hot gases violently, with hissing and whistling, burst out of the bowels of the earth, filling the crater bowl with suffocating gases. Cooling on the surface and rising upward, the gases form a cloud above the top of the cone, about which they usually say: the volcano is “smoking.” For months and years, the volcano can “quietly” smoke until an eruption occurs.

An eruption of an active volcano can last for several days, sometimes months or years, after which the volcano calms down again and seems to “fall asleep” for many months or years until the bottom of the crater explodes under the pressure of gases escaping from the bowels of the Earth. Then, with a deafening explosion of sound, thick black clouds of gas and water vapor are thrown up from the crater thousands of meters and even tens of kilometers (depending on the intensity of the eruption). This huge black cloud is always illuminated with blood-red reflections. They arise from red-hot huge stones, giant pieces of red-hot rock, thunderously thrown by an explosion to the surface and accompanied by giant sheaves of sparks against the backdrop of a black gas cloud.

Here, by the way, it is appropriate to say that not all active volcanoes erupt in this way. They erupt in different ways. From some, fiery rivers of liquid basaltic lava simply and “quietly” flow out, burning everything in its path, and with weaker eruptions, only periodic cannon shots occur in the crater of the volcano; these are gas explosions. Sometimes, during gas explosions, pieces of hot, glowing lava, hot rock and fragments of pumice fly out of the crater. In the case of lower temperatures, already completely solidified lava is thrown out of the crater and crushed, and large blocks of dark, non-luminous petrified volcanic ash (tephra) rise up. But there are volcanoes that erupt with all their might, throwing black and red clouds of gases into the atmosphere, spewing hot blocks of rock, tephra, hot volcanic ash and fiery rivers of lava onto the ground. These volcanoes are the most dangerous.

Strictly speaking, the manifestations of volcanic earthquakes are, in principle, almost no different from the phenomena that occur during tectonic earthquakes. Both are accompanied by a number of natural phenomena: explosions of huge amounts of water vapor and gases, as well as seismic and acoustic vibrations. The fact is that the movement of magma, both during tectonic earthquakes and in the depths of a volcano, is accompanied by cracking of rocks, and this, in turn, causes seismic and acoustic radiation. Therefore, the areas, causes and the very mechanism of modern volcanism coincide with the zones, causes and mechanism of tectonic earthquakes. The causes of volcanic eruptions and accompanying earthquakes are the action of tectonic forces on rocks. The very mechanism of formation of seismic waves during volcanic earthquakes is the same as during tectonic ones. The processes taking place in the mantle have a direct impact on the earth's crust and surface. They are the direct cause of all earthquakes, all volcanic eruptions, as well as the movement of continents, the formation of mountains and the formation of ore deposits.

Under the influence of processes occurring in the mantle and core, magma, this molten rock saturated with gases, moves upward, and, as the magma moves upward, the number of volatile components in it decreases. Foci of magma are located under the earth's crust, in the upper part of the mantle, at a depth of 50 to 100 km. Under strong pressure from the released gases, magma, melting the surrounding rocks, makes its way and forms a vent, or channel, of the volcano. The gases, cooled and thus released, clear a path through the vent in explosions, break apart solid rocks and throw pieces of the vent along with the hot rock to a great height. This phenomenon always precedes the outpouring of lava. Just as carbon dioxide tends to escape when a bottle of champagne or carbonated drink is uncorked, forming foam, so in the crater of a volcano, foaming magma is rapidly ejected by the gases released from it. Having lost a significant amount of gas, magma pours out of the crater and flows along the slopes of the volcano. Degassed magma erupted to the surface during the next volcanic eruption is called lava. Lava can vary in composition - liquid, thick or viscous. Liquid lava spreads relatively quickly along the slopes of the crater, forming lava falls along its path. Thick lava flows slowly, constantly breaking into blocks that pile on top of each other, releasing gases. Viscous lava comes out even more slowly and thickly, constantly sticking together into blocks, which are scattered and thrown high by the explosions of gases coming out of it.

Distribution of volcanoes

During the formation of our planet, volcanoes covered, according to all geologists, its entire surface. Over time, when the volcanoes that formed the modern face of the Earth ceased their activity, new volcanoes continued to arise only along large faults in the earth's crust. Most of the ancient volcanoes have not survived, as mountain-building processes and river erosion destroyed them. But the volcanic mountains that are now found on the surface of our planet arose relatively recently - in the Quaternary period. Modern volcanoes are concentrated on Earth along certain zones (belts) characterized by high tectonic mobility. Destructive earthquakes usually occur in these belts; The heat flow from the bowels of the Earth here is several times higher than in quiet areas.

Volcanoes are distributed unevenly across the face of the Earth. In the northern hemisphere there is a significant number of more volcanoes than in the south. But they are especially common in the equatorial zone.

In such areas of both continents as the European part of the USSR, Siberia (without Kamchatka), Brazil, Australia and others, there are almost completely devoid of volcanoes. Other areas - Kamchatka, Iceland, Northwest coast and islands Mediterranean Sea, Indian and Pacific oceans and the western coast of America are very rich in volcanoes. Most volcanoes are concentrated on coasts and islands Pacific Ocean(322 volcanoes, or 61.7%), where they form the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire". According to some sources, there are 526 volcanoes in this ring of fire. Of these, 328 erupted in historical times. Russia, although not southern country, but there are about a thousand volcanoes active in Kamchatka. Volcanologists explain their abundance by the fact that Kamchatka is located in the area of ​​the Pacific “ring of fire”, which at its edge touches Japan and Kamchatka with the Kuril Islands. On our territory, the Pacific Ring of Fire includes volcanoes Kuril Islands(40) and the Kamchatka Peninsula (28). The most active volcanoes in terms of frequency and strength of eruptions are Klyuchevskoy, Narymsky, Shiveluch, Bezymyanny, and Ksudach.

The Pacific volcanic ring of the Earth stretches from Kamchatka to the south, capturing the islands of the Kuril, Japanese, Philippine, New Guinea, Solomon, New Hebrides and New Zealand, almost reaching Antactis. But it is near Antarctica that the “ring of fire” of the Pacific Ocean is interrupted, and then continues along west coast America from Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia through the Andes and Cordillera to south coast Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The Pacific Ring of Fire also includes the central Pacific Ocean with the volcanic group of the Sandwich Islands, Samoa, Tonga, the Kermadecs and the Galapagos Islands. Thus, the Pacific Ring of Fire contains almost 4/5 of all the Earth’s volcanoes, which have manifested themselves in more than 2000 eruptions in historical times.

The second large volcanic belt stretches across the Mediterranean, the Iranian plateau to the Sunda archipelago. Within its borders there are such volcanoes as Vesuvius (Italy), Etna (the Sicily peninsula), Santorini (Aegean Sea). The volcanoes of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia also fall into this belt. On the Bolshoi Caucasus ridge there are two volcanoes, Elbrus (5642 m) and the double-peaked Kazbek (5033 m). In Transcaucasia, on the border with Turkey, is the Ararat volcano with a cone covered snow cap. A little to the east, in the Elborz ridge, framing the Caspian Sea from the south, is the beautiful Damavand volcano. There are many volcanoes (63, of which 37 are active) in the Sunda archipelago (Indonesia).

The third major volcanic belt stretches along Atlantic Ocean. There are 69 volcanoes, of which 39 erupted in historical times. The largest number of volcanoes (40) is on the island of Iceland, located along the axis of the underwater mid-ocean ridge, and 27 of them have already declared their activity in historical times. Iceland's volcanoes erupt quite frequently.

The fourth volcanic belt is relatively small in size. He takes East Africa(Beyond these four volcanic belts, volcanoes are almost never found on the continents. Over vast areas of Central and Northern Europe, in most parts of Asia, in Australia, in Northern and South America, excluding the Pacific Rim, there are none. But in the oceans the picture is completely different. A detailed study of the relief carried out over the past two decades ocean floor showed that at the bottom of all oceans without exception there is a huge number of large volcanic structures. Especially many of them were found on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean (Fig. 7). Most interesting feature What makes most underwater volcanoes so special is that their tops are flat. Scientists have found that such flat tops of volcanoes were formed when these volcanoes protruded from the water. The waves eroded the cone sticking out of the water, forming an almost flat surface. Subsequently, the ocean floor sank and these topless volcanoes, called guillotines, became submerged.

Atlantic-Himalayan volcanic belt

The Mediterranean volcanic area of ​​the Earth belongs to the Atlantic-Himalayan belt, which stretches from the extreme west of the European continent to the southeastern tip of Asia, including the islands of the Malay Archipelago. This volcanic belt of Europe is divided into several belts, covering several zones.


Also included in the Indian zone are the volcanoes of the Arabian Peninsula with signs of young volcanic activity. Signs of young volcanism in Arabia and Asia Minor are the vast basalt plateaus of the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, fresh volcanic cones in the vicinity of Damascus, finally, two volcanic eruptions in historical times in Western Arabia and an underwater eruption near Aden.

The Indian zone of volcanic activity includes two known in Antarctica active volcano: Erebus and Terror, although among scientific volcanologists many believe that the Antarctic volcanoes belong to the Pacific Ring of Fire. In our opinion, since the Pacific and Atlantic volcanic filaments converge in the area of ​​Antarctica, the volcanoes of Antarctica can be attributed to any “ring”, both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Thus, if we draw up one map of the location of volcanoes, both dormant and active, we will understand that the entire earth is tightly gripped by a volcanic vice, consisting of two giant components - the Pacific “ring of fire” and the Atlantic-Himalayan “belt of fire”.

The first thing that comes to mind with the mention of the word “volcano” is Fuji in Japan, Vesuvius in Italy, or the African Kilimanjaro, which is famous thanks to Hemingway. Nobody will remember about France. Meanwhile, here in the Auvergne region there is a whole national park: , - in which there are several volcanoes at once. This annoying obscurity is probably explained by the fact that the French volcanoes did not bother local residents for more than 6000 years. Nevertheless last years this space on tourist maps began to gradually fill up due to the fact that low-cost airlines began flying to this region: Ryanair and EasyJet. The nearest airport is in Clermont-Ferrand, just a 10-minute drive from the attraction.

Natural Park has a length of 120 km from north to south and consists of several chains of extinct volcanoes. Each of them has its own characteristics. The northern chain, Monts Domes, is the youngest. A 1,465-meter-high crater stands out here, the top of which can be easily reached by car or on foot. At the top of the volcano are old ruins and a physics laboratory. It also offers excellent views of the surrounding area, and paragliders often gather there. The central range, Monts Dore, contains the highest peak: 1886 meters high. This part of the park is perhaps the most attractive due to its view of volcanic lakes, filling extinct craters. The southern range, Monts du Cantal, is popular among mountain walkers: this part of the park has spacious landscapes and plenty of space for all those who like to exercise their legs.

Due to its large length and non-trivial terrain, the park offers many various entertainments. Here you can ride horses, wander along mountain paths with a heavy backpack, parachute down from the top or soar hot-air balloon. If outdoor entertainment is not for you, use the services amusement park, which features attractions and volcano movies with special effects.

The Puy de Dome volcano is one of the main natural attractions of France. It is located in the department of the same name, near Clermont-Ferrand. mountain range The Puy de Dome is a chain of several extinct volcanoes. Despite the fact that little remains of its former greatness, the volcano makes a powerful impression with its monumental craters, the remains of solidified lava.

The Puy de Dome volcano is located on a granite plateau extending at an altitude of about a thousand meters above sea level. In ancient times, this volcano was a sacred place, revered not only by the Gauls, but also by the Romans. During the Roman era, a temple of Mercury was built on the top of the mountain, preceded by an earlier Gallic temple. Historians believe that the name of the mountain is partly related to the presence of a religious building here, because the word “puy” is translated from French as “mountain”, and “dome” means “cathedral”.

The surroundings of the volcano are picturesque and diverse - here you can find both traces of volcanic activity and dense vegetation, rivers, and lakes. Among travelers, the area around Puy de Dome is very popular because there are opportunities for a variety of recreational activities - mountain climbing, paragliding or hang gliding. IN good weather From the top of the mountain there is a magnificent view of the famous Mont Blanc.

It does not have a visible caldera at the summit. Traces of landslides are visible from the slopes. This means that the rock is not monolithic volcanic, not basalt, but ash, stones, etc.

Image processed in the earth.imagico.de service

There are calderas like these on the slopes. From volcanic activity or from explosions of rising gases?

Very reminiscent of giant waste heaps

Martian landscape seen from above. If we assume that these are not magmatic volcanoes, but mud volcanoes, then it is clear that the mudflows stopped without covering the entire valley. By the way, there are several channels along the field-ground border. You can see

On the slopes of Ararat there is this formation:

Some say these are traces of the biblical Noah's Ark

Educational documentary film on this topic


Other researchers say the ark lies higher up on steep slopes


West of Ararat

Let's move north, to the territory of Armenia, to Lake Sevan.
For most, Armenia is a picturesque mountainous area. But to talk about it as a country with many volcanoes (albeit extinct) - I have never seen anything like this. The territory has a number of volcanoes that is comparable to their number somewhere in Mexico.


Link on the map

Geghama ridge, highest point Azhdahak volcano, with a height of 3597 m

Lake Karmir

Mount Sevkatar

And just a hill

Lake Akna

For some reason, Google maps decided not to show the territory to the south (as in the negative), but you can see the photographs. Moving along the time scale in the Google Earth program also did not give anything - the satellite did not take pictures in resolution.

Maybe because of these types? Why is the mountain and the dumps around it not mined? But more about this place below.

Northern slopes of Azhdahak

Multi-colored slopes of Azhdahak. Indistinguishable from modern dumps


Azhdahak city

Lake inside. Does it look like a quarry?

Inside Kotayk

View of Kotayk


Armaghan

Round lake inside

Porac

List of volcanoes in Armenia:
Volcano/peak height above sea level, m

Aragats - 4095
Azhdahak - 3597
Spitakasar - 3560
Dar Alages - 3329
Tskhuk - 3000
Porac - 2800
Ara-ler - 2577
Arteni - 2047
Gutanasar - 2299

On the border with Azeybarjan there are these wonderful hills and a volcano:


Link on the map

Caldera on top of a hill. As in the case of "Volcanoes of France"

Multi-colored hills like modern metallurgical dumps

Hills of rubble


Gutanasar city. An extinct three-domed volcano in Armenia, located in the Kotayk region, in the north-west of the Geghama Highlands, 2.5 km south of the village of Fantan. Gutanasar is relatively remote from others mountain peaks Geghama Highlands. The height of the volcano is 2299 m, the relative height is 300 m.

Without a caldera, but three-domed! It also looks like dumps from coal mining. But for now we will stick official version – dormant volcano. And the rock is volcanic ash. Let's be careful with doubts for now. After all, we do everything from photographs.

These volcanoes erupted only once (monovolcanoes), as in Mexico

But geotectonic processes still took place here in the very recent past.

Canyon of the Dzoraget River. Fault in the earth's crust

I propose to continue again with the territory of Turkey. Types of Nemrut crater:


The caldera is approximately 7x8 km. If this is a volcano, then it’s not just a volcano, it’s a supervolcano. Possibly a mud volcano.

But I have some doubts. Or maybe it’s just a mined-out mountain, a mined-out volcano? Some of the dumps were dumped right there in the caldera.

Link on the map


Nearby there are some kind of dumps with flat tops. This is how modern waste heaps are cut so that they do not burn. Otherwise, they turn into the same monovolcanoes, only artificial.

38° 32" 25.73" N 42° 11" 56.73" E

In order to have some analogy with waste heaps and dumps, let’s take a different look at the cultural monument Nemrut-Dag in Turkey:

But not at the statues near him, but at the hill itself:


It's clearly bulky and fresh

Hill rock fraction

It is possible that these are the creators of this hill, the Gods who lived here


Link on the map

Also an interesting hill

Let's move west...

Information from Cappadocia in the same Turkey, the town of Derinkuyu. Many people know that there are huge, multi-tiered underground cities there. But few people appreciate where the builders divided the rock when constructing the dungeons. It turns out that here on the plain there are high hills that are strange in shape:


Some can be classified as volcanoes. It can be seen that something was pouring out from them and the caldera is visible. Or maybe it was a dungeon construction technology? After all, it’s hard to believe that all this was built by hand... Maybe technological equipment threw the rock to the surface, diluting it with water (there is plenty of it underground in Cappadocia). The artificial volcano grew and some erupted across the area.

38° 22" 34.74" N 34° 27" 28.56" E

38° 30" 57.37" N 34° 34" 32.88" E


Hills on the Cappadocia plain

An example of underground workings from underground city in these places

Layout of levels in one of the underground cities