Mount Ararat is located in extreme northeast Turkey, close to the borders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Ararat consists of two volcanic peaks: Big Ararat (5,137 m) and Little Ararat (3,914m). No eruptions of Mt. Ararat have ever been recorded, but the mountain is likely to have erupted within the past 10,000 years. Located far from any plate boundaries, the underlying cause of volcanism at Mt. Ararat is not well understood.
The top of Big Ararat is covered with snow all year long. This image is a 3-D perspective view looking from the southwest, created by draping a simulated natural color image over an Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER)-derived digital topography model. The image was acquired on June 25, 2002, and is located at 39.75 degrees North latitude, 44.4 degrees East longitude.
Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
