Mount Ariye

Mount Ariye, Aritol, or simple Ariye, standing at 3,207 meters (10,521 feet) above sea level, is a hyperactive stratovolcano in Riyata and the tallest mountain in Taxata, located around 27.3 km north from the city of Taqina. One of the most prominent mountains in the world, it is visible from most of central Taxata, and is one of the most striking features of the Riyatic landscape. Ariye is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Vidina, having had hundreds of major eruptions within the last few thousand years, including several catastrophic eruptions since humans first arrived in Vatupaya. It is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world and is a cultural icon and symbol of Riyata.

Mount Ariye has left an impact on every civilization that has settled near it. In Maqibo and sometimes in Tevatua, Ariye is a powerful volcano spirit of justice and fire. It is a sacred mountain in Riyatic culture and is religiously important to regional peoples.

The eruption of Ariye in 344 destroyed a large Classical Taxic city in what is now Taqina, Taxata. The eruption is thought to have killed as many as fifteen to twenty thousand people, but it is difficult to accurately estimate because the site of the city was extensively uncovered and rebuilt through the centuries. The eruption also created an ash cloud that blanketed large parts of Taxata and Eastern Vatupaya, and is considered to have been the primary cause of the Late Taxic Migrations.

Ariye is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity. The fertile volcanic soil in the surrounding lands has supported large-scale farming since the development of agriculture in Vatupaya, and agriculture continues to play a large role in the local economy in modern times. Its frequent eruptions and imposing shape make it a popular tourist attraction, and it is frequently depicted in art and photography. It is designated a protected natural monument by the Riyatic government and is also a !WorldHeritageSite and national park.

Religious, mythological, and cultural significance
As one of the only active volcanoes in Vidina, Ariye has had a significant impact on local religion and culture since humans first inhabited the region. Eruptions of Ariye are depicted in prehistoric cave paintings found nearby, and many ancient tools made from volcanic glass have been uncovered throughout Taxata. The area surrounding Ariye was one of the first places agriculture developed in Vidina, and the fertile volcanic soil there has fueled large-scale farming for thousands of years.

Mount Ariye was one of the most significant maqi venerated by the Classical Taxics. There is significant evidence to support that Ariye was their most important maqi, as it was more widely revered than even some of the most prominent Haqamimaqi like Mara or Aqito. According to legend, Ariye is either the entrance to the underworld or a key to navigating it, or both. The Riyatic origin myth recounts that the hero Raqa once quelled an eruption of Ariye, trapping its fire in a bottle or lantern that he later used to illuminate the underworld. The strong association with death and the underworld has led religious scholars to speculate that the maqi of Ariye emerged from the syncretism of two or more other deities, one of which was a chthonic entity or otherwise strongly associated with death. According to Classical Taxic records, Ariye was also probably heavily associated with war. However, by the 11th century, Ariye had lost most of its violent associations, shifting away from war and towards justice and punishment. Although maqi tied to geographical features such as a mountain or lake tend to only see veneration in the local area, Ariye is one of the Tolimaqi, a group of major mountain maqi whose associated legends and folklore are widespread throughout Riyata. There are 15 shrines around the base of the mountain that pay respect to it. Outside the immediate vicinity, there are around 5,000 other maqi shrines throughout Riyata where Ariye is believed to inhabit.

Physical features and formation
Standing 3.2 km tall, Ariye can be easily seen from many parts of Taxata and is a defining feature of the Taxic and Riyatic landscape. It covers an area of 1,115 km2 and has a basal circumference of around 144 km. Higher elevations of the mountain are covered in snow for 4 or 5 months of the year, and upper portions are generally devoid of vegetation due to the frequent volcanism.

Formation
The exact geological processes that formed Ariye are still a mystery, but the volcanism there is most likely caused by the Taxic Microplate, which was a piece of the Vidinan Plate that subducted under the Vatupic Plate at an irregular angle and broke off due to the enormous stress. The Taxic Microplate is currently completely buried under the Vatupic Plate, and was unknown to the geological community until 2004 when it was discovered by a team of scientists from Northern University and the Taxic Institute of Earth Science. The results of their study theorized that Ariye is actually a type of subduction volcano fueled by the rapid melting of the “hidden” Taxic Microplate, which is subducting under the Vatupic Plate around 110 km beneath Ariye.

According to geological evidence, volcanic activity at Ariye started roughly 600,000 years ago, and activity had moved to the present center by 150,000 years ago. Major eruptions at this time began to build up the volcanic edifice, creating the stratovolcano through a combination of explosive and effusive eruptions.

Other theories
Until recently, the volcanism at Ariye was an extraordinary anomaly; it is a hyperactive explosive stratovolcano located far away from any convergent tectonic boundary, and there is no other volcanic activity nearby. It did not conform to any existing classification of volcanoes. One of the most widely-held beliefs was that Ariye was created by a volcanic hotspot, but there were many pieces missing in that theory. Hotspots typically only form shield volcanoes, but Ariye is a stratovolcano. Furthermore, Ariye is not a part of any mountain or volcano chain, which are defining characteristics of a hotspot.

Eruptions
Mount Ariye is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and erupts several times a decade. The eruption of 344 was preceded by other major eruptions in ancient and prehistoric times, some of which were much larger, including an eruption in 2500 BC which might have caused a volcanic winter. Since 344, Ariye has erupted repeatedly and frequently. Significant eruptions occurred several times in each century. It went through an unusually high period of activity in the 18th century, having 14 notable eruptions (possibly 16). There were 5 major eruptions in the 19th century and 7 in the 20th. The most recent eruption to destroy a population center was in 1782, but no eruption after 344 was as destructive as that one.

The eruptions of 344 and 1090 were so large that they blanketed much of Eastern Vatupaya in clouds of ash. On both occasions, ash fell as far as the eastern tip of the Koranelan peninsula.

Eruptions of Ariye tend to be either effusive or explosive, of which the latter is more common. Ariye's lava tends to move slowly, so nearby population centers are not usually at direct risk. Accumulation of falling tephra poses a danger and can result in collapsing roofs and clogging of filters and machines, but an eruption strong enough to cause notable damage to population centers has not occurred since 1944.

Eruptions before 344
There is some evidence that a massive eruption in 2500 BC may have caused a minor volcanic winter across the northern hemisphere, but this might be attributed to other factors, such as changes in solar radiation, changes in ocean currents, or variations in the planet’s tilt and orbit.

An eruption or several eruptions of Ariye sometime in the 11th or 12th centuries BCE may have contributed to the collapse of the Proto-Taxic Civilization.

Archaic Taxic records mention a possible eruption of Ariye in 754 BC, which caused a famine in Taxata. However, it might also have been caused by an earthquake, as surviving accounts only vaguely refer to the event, saying that it was caused by the “wrath of nature” and that “there was fire and trembling.”

A minor eruption in 117 AD was documented by Tambetu, an Aunic general, as it convinced him to end the occupation of the nearby Taxic cities and return to Aunaye. He wrote that “the local people resisted us strongly, telling us their god would strike us down, but I did not think much of it. Then their mountain began to spit smoke and make the ground tremble, and it was then that I knew that their gods were powerful and angry, and I marched my soldiers out of the city the next day.”

Eruption of 344
The most well-known and destructive eruption of Ariye in human history was the eruption of 344, which destroyed a prominent Taxic city and its surrounding villages. According to surviving records, the eruption ejected so much ash into the sky that the light of the sun was completely blocked out, and the city was completely destroyed and did not become reinhabited for 70 years. The eruption may have been triggered by an earthquake and might also have been accompanied by a minor tsunami.

The eruption ejected up to 12.8 km3 of tephra, causing large ash clouds to form over Eastern Vatupaya. The eruption is generally credited as the primary cause behind the Late Taxic Migrations; however, historians agree that the religious and cultural importance of the event had more of an impact on the magnitude of the migrations than the actual physical destruction that was caused; Taxics from all over Taxata, not just the areas directly affected by the eruption, participated in the invasions. Also, the migration period lasted for hundreds of years, lasting well after the region recovered from the eruption. The Classical Taxics had a martial culture, and there is substantial evidence that the maqi of Mount Ariye was one of their most important deities. The general consensus among experts is that the Taxics interpreted the eruption as a command from the maqi to expand and conquer territory.

Effect on the collapse of the Aunic Empire
The eruption of 344 was one of the most significant contributors to the collapse of the Aunic Empire, which was already declining by then. Not only did the eruption spark the Late Taxic Migrations into the empire, one of the largest movements of peoples in Vidinan history, it also created a volcanic winter that kicked off the Twenty Years' Famines in Vatupaya. Although the effects of the eruption wore off relatively quickly, the initial shock had crippled the empire's authority, leading to an extended period of famine and rebellion. Throughout the continent, there was death and starvation, and by the end of the famine, the imperial government had lost its ability to project power to the edges of the empire, particularly in the territories across the Bay of Guasu. Many local governors and generals became much more autonomous and began to fight one another in search of more power and territory, ultimately resulting in the disintegration of the empire altogether.

Historical eruptions after 344
Ariye erupted again in 352, which caused widespread panic in the local region, but it was a very minor eruption. Locals were worried that an eruption of similar scale to the 344 eruption might happen again, so there was a mass exodus from the surrounding area.

An eruption in 1006 was the last eruption before Ariye entered a period of unusual inactivity that lasted until the massive eruption in 1090. The 84 years between the two eruptions are sometimes called the "century of clear skies" by later writers. The eruption of Ariye in 1090 expelled around 0.09 to 0.12 km3 of tephra, making it the second-most devastating recent eruption of Ariye, after the 344 eruption. The tephra produced by this eruption started a fire in Taqina before covering it in ash, and impacted farming throughout Taxata for at least the next two years. Although the eruption was large, there was significant warning time beforehand and most of Taqina's population was able to evacuate in time.

The Agar trader Sawid Jened wrote that Ariye had erupted in 1555, but no other sources mention an eruption in that year. It is possible that he may have seen smoke plumes from farms burning during the 1554 Siege of Taqina.

The 1782 eruption destroyed several towns and villages and devastated Taqina. This eruption produced especially large lava flows, which entered Taqina through gaps in the city wall caused by the preceding earthquake. According to records, the eruption and following lava flow killed up to 9,000 people, but casualties might have been inflated to include deaths from the previous earthquake.

Modern eruptions (1900–present day)


Eruptions of Ariye have been very well documented since 1901, when the Taxic Institute of Earth Science was formed specifically to study and monitor the volcano. They captured tape recordings of the eruptions of 1903 and 1915, two of the first-ever video recordings of an erupting volcano. Footage from the 1915 eruption was used in the 1921 Riyatic film The Ending World.

Ariye began erupting on November 11th, 1944 during World War II, damaging a nearby airbase and destroying several aircraft. The eruption lasted for around a week and the ash clouds impeded both the Ta'arohan and Concert forces, slowing the progression of the Riyatic 4th Army through southern Taxata during the Liberation of Riyata. Because of this, the Ta'arohan Army had more time to prepare fortifications for the upcoming Siege of Qinaga.

In 2014, a large eruption created a massive pillar of ash that could be seen from space. Ash fell as far away as Citana, around 200 km east. The eruption was widely publicized, in part because many tourists were already in Taqina for the 2014 Vatupic Song Competition.

The most recent eruption began on March 5, 2022, and is currently ongoing.

Future
Due to the frequency of its eruptions and its close proximity to large population centers, Ariye is considered a very dangerous volcano. Based on the scale of a catastrophic eruption, the government emergency plan accounts for the evacuation of up to 550,000 people from the surrounding area. Due to prevailing winds, the area south and east of the mountain is in the greatest danger, but these also happen to be the most heavily urbanized areas near Ariye. The worst-case scenario involves a pyroclastic surge down the mountain's slope for around 8 to 9 kilometers, as well as substantial tephra falls in the surrounding area. The city of Taqina would suffer extensive damage and have to be evacuated completely. The complete evacuation of the entire danger zone would be conducted by cars, trains, buses, and ferries, and it would take around a week to evacuate all 550,000 people. In such a scenario, it is likely that the evacuees would be unable to return to their homes for months or years.

Ariye is one of the most intensely monitored geological areas in the world. There are numerous seismic and gravimetric stations, GPS-based geodetic arrays, and satellite-based radars, all of which attempt to track magma and tectonic movement under and near the volcano. The goal is to be able to accurately predict a cataclysmic eruption 10 to 20 days in advance, and activate the evacuation plan accordingly.

Tourism


Ariye is one of Riyata's major tourist attractions, drawing a little more than 1.5 million tourists every year to the mountain and its surrounding towns. It is also a target for religious tourism, as the maqi of Ariye is commonly venerated through pilgrimage. There are hiking trails, ski resorts, and cable cars on the mountain, as well as a train line that encircles the base of the mountain from a distance of about 20-25 kilometers. Tourists are strongly advised to be cautious due to the possibility of small, unexpected explosions. The most recent fatalities attributed to Ariye's volcanic activity were in February 1992, when a family of 3 were wounded in a sudden explosion near the summit, causing them to die of exposure. Since then, the municipal government of Taqina has operated a fleet of 3 rescue helicopters in case of emergency.