Scientists discover a hidden 100-million-year-old volcanic system

Scientists have uncovered a long-lost volcanic system in Iran that dates back roughly 100 million years, revealing a hidden chapter in Earth’s tectonic history. The discovery sheds new light on the disappearance of an ancient ocean and the powerful geological forces that reshaped the Middle East. Scientists discover a hidden 100-million-year-old volcanic system.

Com Scientists have uncovered evidence of a previously unknown volcanic system that formed roughly 100 million years ago in what is now northwestern Iran. The discovery reveals a missing chapter in the region’s geological history and offers new clues about the powerful tectonic forces that shaped ancient oceans and continents. Mountain ranges contain valuable records of Earth’s distant past, preserving traces of vanished oceans, shifting continents, and the geological processes that transformed the planet over millions of years.

These records are often difficult to interpret because later tectonic activity, erosion, and layers of buried sediment can conceal evidence of much older events. An international team led by Istanbul Technical University (ITU) has now identified remnants of an ancient continental magmatic arc that had previously gone unrecognized. Named the Azerbaijan Continental Magmatic Arc, the system formed during the Late Cretaceous period in a region that is now part of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone.