It is part of the Kamchatka-Kurile volcanic arc, and volcanism in this arc is caused by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Okhotsk Plate. More specifically, volcanic activity at Taunshits relates to a local system of eastward-trending faults, and some additional volcanoes are controlled by the same fault system, such as Uzon and Kikhpinych which lie both east of Taunshits.