Mount Nemrat eruption dating evidence

Mount Nemrat's major eruptions occurred during the Pleistocene, and volcanic activity transformed Lake Van into a large alkaline closed basin soda lake. The volcano sits on the western shore of Lake Van in eastern Turkey. Major eruptions altered the drainage of the region, with a massive lava flow over 60 km long blocking water discharge from the Van basin. The last known eruption occurred in 1650 CE, with earlier eruptions documented in Armenian sources of the 15th century and Kurdish sources of the 16th century. Lake Van, the world's largest alkaline endorheic lake, would have had different water levels before the blocking eruption occurred during the terminal Pleistocene.