in the region may change due to the shift of stress at the boundary of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. The direction of pressure coming from the Arabian plate is gradually turning from south–north to the west–east, with a linear shift of 7.8–9 mm per year. Fumarolic activity and the presence of many hot springs are observed at the bottom of the caldera. Structure The volcano has an elliptical shape and covers 486 km2. Its center contains 377.5 km3 of volcanic material, mainly 0.23–1.18 million years old lava. Nemrut has a distinct caldera with an area of 46.7 km2 and a volume of 32.9 km3; the maximum height of the edge of the caldera is above sea level (Sivritepe, on the northern edge of the caldera). The average height of the walls of the caldera, measuring from its bottom, is . The lowest point of the caldera coincides with the deepest point of Lake Nemrut ( above sea level). There are three lakes at the bottom of the caldera: the larger Lake Nemrut and two smaller ones, Ilı and the so-called "Seasonal Lake". Lake Nemrut Lake Nemrut () is located in the south-western part of the caldera and is now a freshwater lake. Similar to Lake Van, under the influence of volcanic processes it is gradually becoming a saline lake. The lake is fed by hot springs, which is why it is warmer at the bottom than at the surface and does not freeze in winter. The total area is 4.9×2.1 km, the average depth is 140 m, and the maximum depth is 176 m; the altitude of the lake is above the sea level. Lake Ilı Lake Ilı (, "hot lake") was split from Lake Nemrut by an ancient lava flow. Ilı is located closer to the fault than Lake Nemrut; therefore it has a larger inflow of hot springs and a higher temperature. In the summer, it sometimes reaches 60 °C, and an average is 6–8 °C warmer than expected for a lake of its altitude. Nevertheless, it partly freezes in winter because of the small size and depth. Risk of future eruptions Recent studies note the danger of possible eruptions. Nemrut is located in close proximity to Tatvan (distance 10 km, population: 66,000), Bitlis (population 52,000), Ahlat (population 22,000), and a number of smaller settlements. In total, about 135,000 people live in the potential eruption zone. The