Damavand GPS Measurment

Damavand Elevation by GPS Measurment

By Ardeshir Soltani

There is an article in WIKIPEDIA about the elevation of Damavand Iran, it indicate the altitude of this mountain is only 5610 meters high which I believe it is not correct. After reading this article, I went and made a new measurement on Friday 31 Aug 2007.

Carrying simultaneously two different brand of hand held GPS units, I have gone to the top of all Big BOULDERS and rocks around the summit crater and I found all of them are above 5610 m and none of them 5610 m or less?!
Here is the result of my measurement for the highest rock which I beleive is Damavand Summit.

Highest Peak Coordinates

Latitude 35-57-19 N
Longitude 52-06-36 E

Highest Peak Elevation

Magellan GPS 315-----5630 m - 18471 ft. (measured 5626 m in 2006 by the same equipment).
Garmin Rino 120-------5645 m - 18520 ft.

Tolerance

Supposing the GPS tolerance +/-15M in the worst and minimum tolerance the height is above 5610 M and for best and optimal the elevation is 5660 m 18,569 ft or more. Although I believe hand held GPS unit results are not so accurate to refer to as a reliable reference, and I think it worth to do some accurate measurements with some sophisticated equipments.

Note
Damavand height is mentioned 5,671 Meters (18,605 ft) in most old world records.
Visit also GPS Landmarks, Damavand GPS Tracks FAQ.

Damavand Altitude By NASA

What NASA says about the elevation of this gian volcano!

NASA1
Mt. Damavand, Iran: Located approximately 50 kilometers northeast of Tehran Mt. Damavand is an impressive stratovolcano that reaches 5,670 meters (18,598 feet) in elevation. Part of the Alborz Mountain Range that borders the Caspian Sea to the north, Damavand is a young volcano that has formed mostly during the Holocene Epoch (over approximately the last 10,000 years). The western flank of the volcano includes solidified lava flows with flow levees—“walls” formed as the side edges of flowing lava cooled rapidly, forming a chute channeled the hotter, interior lava. Guide Mt. Damavand.

Two such flows with well-defined levees are highlighted by snow on the mountainside. Damavand is the highest peak in Iran and the highest volcano in the Middle East. The mountain and its surrounding areas are popular hiking, climbing, and skiing destinations. While no historic eruptions of the volcano are recorded, hot springs on the flanks of the volcano and fumaroles (steam vents) in the summit crater suggest that a hot or cooling magma body is still present beneath the volcano. This continuing activity, while minor, indicates a dormant rather than extinct volcano. Climb Damavand Iran.

NASA2
Iran: Elburz Mountains, Iran, and the more precipitous southern shore of the Caspian. Mount Damavand volcano (5681 m) and Tahkt Island Suleiman peak (4819 m) rise above the rest of the range. Thrust-faulted ridges are clearly visible in the northern foreland of Elburz Mountains. Tehran is beneath the blanket of smog at right center.

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Damavand Elevation MDIC22MAY14F