The Group Stage of the Volcano World Cup continues! If you haven't yet, vote for Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D and Group E. Today we have Group F: Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iran and Nigeria. This group might end up being closer than it seems. Argentina: Many of the volcanoes that make up the border between Chile and Argentina literally straddle the border. That's why, technically, the 2012 eruption from Copahue was in Argentina, as the vent is on Argentine soil while much of the edifice itself is Chilean. This makes assesses the volcanic prowess of Argentina so tricky. However, one impressive volcano fully within Argentina is Tromen (see below), which last erupted in 1822. The young lava flows stand out starkly darker on the slopes of the volcano and are mainly andesite. Tromen itself is part of the Argentina back-arc, volcanoes related to extension behind the main Andean volcanic arc, part of the reason why it ends up fully in Argentina.
Tromen in Argentina. The dark areas are young lava flows on the slopes of the volcano.
Unknown / Wikimedia Commons.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Balkan states really don't have much in the way of modern volcanoes. I searched high and low -- much of the country is located in the Dinaric Alps, which in this section is dominantly limestone. There might be some pretty volcanic rocks intercalated in there somewhere -- at least one paper reports that there was some volcanism in the area (well, in what is the area now) around 30 million years ago.
The Dinaric Alps of Bosnia. Picturesque, yes. Volcanic? Not so much.
Orjen / Wikimedia Commons Iran: I bet most people don't realize that Iran has potentially active volcanoes? They sure do, although when they last erupted aren't well known. Most of the volcanoes are located in the northern part of the country as you approach the Caspian Sea in the Elbruz Mountains and thanks to the relative arid environment, the volcanic features are spectacularly preserved. One of the most impressive volcanoes is Damavand (see below), with its majestic conical edifice. It likely erupted around 7,000 years ago and is only 70 km from Tehran, so a new eruption from Damavand could have consequences for the Iranian capital.
The conical peak of Damavand in Iran, seen in the winter of 2004.
Hamed Khorramyar / Wikimedia Commons Nigeria: Nigeria is very close to active volcanism, but really, much of the activity along the Cameroon line never crosses the border. The Biu Plateau is likely related to the Cameroon line, but there isn't much evidence that there has been any eruptive activity on the Biu Plateau in a long, long time. There are some areas the Mandara Mountains (see below) that preserve volcanic that is probably at least 35 million years old, but that's the best we can find in Nigeria.
Rhumsiki Peak in Nigeria, the remnants of ancient volcanism.
Amcaja / Wikimedia Commons Select the two nations you think should move onto the Round of 16 in the Volcano World Cup. Voting will be open until June 26 at noon eastern time.
