page_title: Nemrut (volcano)
section_title: Studies in the 19th century
hierarchical_section_title: Nemrut (volcano) / History of study / Studies in the 19th century
caption_attribution_description: Historical map of Lake Van area, XIX cent.
context_page_description: Nemrut is a dormant volcano in Eastern Turkey, close to Lake Van. The volcano is named after King Nimrod who is said to have ruled this area in about 2100 BC.
  The most powerful eruptions of Nemrut occurred in the Pleistocene. Many small eruptions occurred during the Holocene, the last in 1692. The top of the volcano is a large caldera hosting three crater lakes.
context_section_description: The first systematic studies of the volcano began in the mid-19th century, when, taking advantage of the British influence in the region, it was visited by several European explorers. They described and mapped the area, and some, including the British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard, explored the remains of Urartu fortresses around Lake Van. In this period it was suggested that the unusual structure of the watersheds in the region, and the very formation of Lake Van, is related to a large volcanic eruption and the blocking of the water discharge to Murat River by the lava flow.
  The most detailed work on the subject was the doctoral thesis of the English scientist Felix Oswald, "A Treatise on the Geology of Armenia", which devotes a large part to Nemrut. Oswald made and documented many measurements and observations. He also suggested possible ways of the evolution of Nemrut, most of which were confirmed later.
caption: A 19th century map of the Nemrut area composed by a British traveler.
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