Sahand

Sahand
Highest point
Elevation 3,707 m (12,162 ft) [1]
Prominence 1,826 m (5,991 ft) [1]
Listing Ultra
Coordinates 37°43′51″N 46°30′00″E / 37.73083°N 46.50000°E / 37.73083; 46.50000Coordinates: 37°43′51″N 46°30′00″E / 37.73083°N 46.50000°E / 37.73083; 46.50000 [1]
Geography
Sahand
Iran
Location East Azarbaijan, Iran
Geology
Age of rock 12–0.14 million years
Mountain type Stratovolcano
Last eruption Unknown

Sahand (Persian: سهند‎), is a massive, heavily eroded stratovolcano in East Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran. At 3,707 m (12,162 ft), it is the highest mountain in the province of East Azarbaijan.

It is one of the highest mountains in Iranian Azerbaijan, in addition to being an important dormant volcano in the country.[2] The Sahand mountains are directly south of Tabriz, the highest peak of which is Kamal at an elevation of 3,707 m.. Approximately 17 peaks can be accounted for as being over 3,000 m. in height. Due to the presence of a variety of flora and fauna, the Sahand mountains are known as the bride of mountains in Iran.

The absolute dating of Sahand rocks indicates that this volcano has been sporadically active from 12 million years ago up to almost 0.14 million years ago. Sahand is made chiefly of dacite and associated felsic rocks.

Winter sports

Sahand Ski Resort is on the northern foothills of the mountain and near the city of Tabriz. In the complex the Sahand Skiing Stadium has a 1200 meters length ski area and skiing and snowboarding is practiced in the resort. The snow sculpture competition, which runs once a year at mid-winter in the stadium, is a famous entertainment that attracts spectators and competitors from all over the country.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Iran: 54 Mountain Summits with Prominence of 1,500 meters or greater". Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  2. ↑ Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 330. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
  • "Sahand". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.