Taftan (volcano) 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. Eruptions are recorded in 1902, 1970 and 1993. A report of smoke emission in 1877 may have confused clouds for volcanic activity. In 1914, the volcano was described to be "belching out clouds of smoke", although
Under the Volcano Under the Volcano Under the Volcano is a novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957) published in 1947. The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British consul in the small Mexican town of Quauhnahuac, on the Day of the Dead, 2 November 1938. The book takes its name from the two volcanoes that overshadow Quauhnahuac and the characters, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. "Under the Volcano" was Lowry's second and last complete novel. The novel was adapted for radio on "Studio One" in 1947 but had gone out of print by the time Lowry died. Its popularity restored, in