of the 15th century and Kurdish sources of the 16th century. These records allowed to confirm the activity of the volcano during the Holocene and to establish the dates of some eruptions. A more recent eruption is mentioned in Turkish records: The Armenian name of the volcano (: angry) might also reflect the regular activity of the volcano in the historical period. Studies in the 19th century 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. Modern research In the 20th century, the scientific study of the volcano was interrupted by the political instability in the region. In the first half of the 20th century Nemrut was wrongly classified as an extinct volcano. Only in the 1980s, with the resumption of the studies, its status was changed to dormant. Currently Nemrut is mainly studied by Turkish volcanologists. The volcano is still poorly understood, and there is no consensus on the interpretation of stratigraphic data. Analysis of the sediments of Lake Van, which is near the volcano, allowed clarification of the chronology and activity of recent eruptions. The potential activity of Nemrut and the close proximity of several Turkish cities inspired recent in-depth studies. In October 2003, the first in Turkey real-time seismic network of sensors has been installed around the volcano. During the first three years of operation the network has registered 133 seismic events with a magnitude of 1.3–4.0. Volcanic activity Eruptions of Nemrut were mainly of Plinian type. Their products are mainly alkaline and include a wide range of lavas: from basalt to rhyolite and