Reportedly in 1897 the smell of the fumaroles was so strong as to be unbearable when one was close to the vents. One report mentioned in a magazine of 1899 indicated the presence of seven steam vents at an altitude of , produced audible noise. Their steam plumes were visible at distances of ; later reporting indicated visibility to distances of . Another report in 1999 found a solfatara surrounded by clay and sulfur deposits that looked like a snowcap. A fumarole field was described on the west side of the southeast cone, the venting clearly visible from a refuge farther down the mountain and covering a surface area of c. . The name Taftan is derived from these exhalations, which make the mountain appear to be burning.