Basman

Bazman is located 120 km west of the city of Khashch, 115 km north-west of the city of Iranishehr and 30 km north-west of the small town of Bazman, in the north of the Jazmurian basin. You can drive up to it along two highways: Bam-Iranshehr and Khash-Iranshehr. Bazman is also called the "Mountain of the Prophet Khizra" or "Living Mountain" ^[2] . The mountain to the locals in antiquity served as a natural glacier. On the southern slopes of Bazman there is a Khizra pilgrimage site, to which local residents ride a camel or walk every summer ^[3] . The Bazman volcanic massif is approximately 30 meters in diameter, and in addition to the main peak, it also includes several minor ones that are located diagonally from the northeast to the southwest. It is bounded by the plains of the Dasht-e Luta depressions in the north and northwest, as well as by the Jazmurian lake in the southeast, and by the slopes of the spurs of the Central Iranian Plateau in the southwest, and the East Iranian Plateau in the east ^[4] . The height of the surrounding area above sea level varies between 1,100 and 1,200 m, which gives Bazman a relative height of maximum 2,400 m. The climatic conditions of the surrounding areas are classified as hot and desert, and the relative humidity is very low, as is the number of cloudy days and the amount of rainfall that does not reaches 100 mm per year. Frost is a rare occurrence here, and snow sometimes appears in the winter and early spring. In the summer and autumn, in addition, streams appear, which must be divided into two internal drainage basins: Dasht-e Lutsky basin in the north and Hamun-e Jazmurian in the south. The salinity level of the soil of the volcanic massif is quite high due to the presence of diapir, and the vegetation is of the steppe type. As for the type of plants found on Bazman, these are mainly low drought tolerant shrubs, which play a large role in the stability of the soil surface, that is, in preventing erosion. Due to severe climatic conditions, the vicinity of Bazman is poorly populated; among the settlements, mainly small villages predominate, whose economic life is based on cattle breeding, namely breeding sheep, goats and cattle. The largest settlement located nearby is the small town of Bazman of the same name, located about 30 km southeast of the volcano. Since Bazman is attractive in terms of mountaineering, tourism plays an important role in the local economy. The mountain shelters of Guristan, Madegi, Gavantar, Jahuk, Talaru, Bur-Kuh, Muki, Ali Khan Keshtan and Kar-Kidar are located east of the volcano and near Route 93 (state road), which connects the small towns of Narmashchir and Bempur. The first European to climb the summit of Bazman in 1893 was British diplomat Percy M. Sykes ^[5] .

From the point of view of geomorphology, Bazman is part of the Central Iranian Highlands and the tectonically active volcanic region, which also includes Kale-e Hassan Ali, Kuh-e Nader and Taftan. Geologically, Bazman is a southeastern branch from the belt of volcanic rocks, which extends to Sehend in Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran . The indicated subduction belt is the result of the collision of the Eurasian and Arabian lithospheric plates, which occurs since the Oligocene, and the Bazman massif itself got its shape during the Pliocene and Pleistocene ^[6] . At the crossroads of the middle and eastern highlands there is a volcanic region, covering, in addition to Bazman, also Kale-e Hassan Ali, Kuh-e Nader and Taftan ^[7] . Deposits of gold , copper , chalcopyrite, galena, pyrite, feldspars, and quartz were found near Bazman ^[8] .

Bazman with adjacent hilly plains and steppes is declared a protected zone. It covers 324.7 hectares. Types of plants that dominate the slopes of the mountain: oleander, sea wormwood and various types of astragalus. Wild animals and birds living in the region are: partridge, hazel grouse, gray partridge, pheasant, hare, mountain goat, mountain sheep, hornless sheep, sheep. An Asian gray bear, which is smaller in size as a brown bear, also lives in the region. These bears probably live in caves 70 cm long ^[9] .

Basman

• Bazman : [ eng. ] // Global Volcanism Program . - Smithsonian Institution .
• Volcano Live - John Search
• Volcano World - Oregon State University