About five different active eruption periods have been discovered at Taftan volcano. Activity first involved lava and pyroclastics of dacitic to rhyodacitic composition. Later, upper Pliocene lavas were erupted along with agglomerates. These can be found up to away from the cone. Three phases have been dated at 6.95 ± 0.72, 6.01 ± 0.15 and 0.71 ± 0.03 million years ago; an even older phase west-northwest of the current volcano occurred 8 million years ago, while a Quaternary ignimbrite has produced an age of 404,000 ± 82,000 years before present. The youngest dates have been obtained on lava flows and indicate ages of 6,950 ± 20 years ago, by radiometric dating. Research published in 1897 indicated the absence of very fresh lava flows but the authors inferred from the fresh ash that volcanic activity had occurred during the present geological epoch. That the name Taftan may be derived from an ancient Iranian word taft for semi solid liquid material could indicate that effusive activity was witnessed by the people of that time period around the volcano.