Dormant Volcanoes
Did you know some volcanoes can ''sleep'' for thousands of years while others erupt at regular intervals? In this lesson, we will learn why some volcanoes can wait long periods of time before erupting. We will also look at some examples of dormant volcanoes.
Sleeping Giants
Volcanologists (geologists who study volcanoes) classify volcanoes as either active, dormant, or extinct. An active volcano is a volcano that is currently erupting or has erupted recently, such as Mount St. Helens, which most recently erupted in 1980.
A dormant volcano is one that has not erupted recently but is expected to do so again. Prior to its 1980 eruption, Mount St. Helens had been classified as a dormant volcano. The reason for this is volcanoes can go decades, hundreds of years, or even hundreds of thousands of years before they erupt. Even the experts can't agree on the difference.
Some volcanologists have classified volcanoes as dormant that have not erupted in the last 10,000 years. The cutoff of 10,000 years is used because it marks the end of the last ice age and the beginning of the Holocene Epoch. While the 10,000-year mark gives an easy way to distinguish between active and dormant volcanoes, not all volcanologists are in agreement on this cutoff. Other volcanologists consider volcanoes that have erupted in historical times to be active. However, the term ''historical times'' is somewhat arbitrary and can vary, depending on what part of the world you are investigating.
Sleeping Giants: 10 of the World's Dormant Volcanoes
Not all volcanoes are active, but that doesn't mean they're not worth a visit.
Mauna Kea, is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. Standing 4,207 m above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. Wikipedia
Elevation: 4,207 m
Last eruption: 2460 BC
Prominence: 4,205 m
Location: Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States
Mountain range: Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain
Did you know: Most cones at Mauna Kea are 200 to 600 m wide and 30 to 100 m high. volcanolive.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea
study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-dormant-volcano-definition-facts-example.html
Mount Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, "Kibo", "Mawenzi", and "Shira", is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa, about 4,900 metres from its base to 5,895 metres above sea level. Wikipedia
Elevation: 5,895 m
Location: Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
Topo map: Kilimanjaro map and guide by Wielochowski
Last eruption: Between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago
Continent: Africa
Did you know: There are six official Kilimanjaro routes.
Sete Cidades is a civil parish in the center of the municipality of Ponta Delgada, that is likewise located in the center of a massive volcanic crater three miles across, also referred to as Sete Cidades. Wikipedia
Elevation: 264 m
Area: 19.19 km²
Urban area: 47 km²
Area Code & Prefix: (+351) 292 XXX-XXXX
Patron saint: Saint Nicholas
Municipality: Ponta Delgada
Mount Teide is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its 3,718-metre summit is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic. Wikipedia
Elevation: 3,718 m
Last eruption: 18 November 1909
Prominence: 3,718 m
Province: Province of Tenerife
Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Did you know: El Pico del Teide is the modern Spanish name. wikipedia.org
Mount Ararat is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in the extreme east of Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat, the highest peak in Turkey and the Armenian plateau ... Wikipedia
Elevation: 5,137 m
Last eruption: 1840
Prominence: 3,611 m
Location: Iğdır and Ağrı provinces, Turkey
Mountain range: Armenian Highlands
First ascenders: Friedrich Parrot, Khachatur Abovian
Solfatara is a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, near Naples, part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area. It is a dormant volcano, which still emits jets of steam with sulfurous fumes. Wikipedia
Elevation: 458 m
Last eruption: 1198
Volcanic arc/belt: Campanian volcanic arc
Location: Italy
Age of rock: 40,000 years
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. Wikipedia
Elevation: 3,429 m
Last eruption: 1907
Location: Clackamas / Hood River counties, Oregon, U.S.
Topo map: USGS Mount Hood South
Mountain range: Cascade Range
Água de Pau is a civil parish in the municipality of Lagoa in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 3,058, in an area of 17.46 km². Wikipedia
Area: 17.46 km²
Urban area: 40 km²
Elevation: 103 m
Population: 3,058 (2011)
President Junta: Roberto Manuel Pereira de Sousa
Postal Zone: 9560-217
President Assembleia: Mónica Isabel Barranqueiro Domingues
Mount Rainier, is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, and the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington. Wikipedia
Elevation: 4,392 m
Last eruption: 1894
Topo map: USGS Mount Rainier West
Isolation: 731 mi (1,176 km)
Mountain range: Cascade Range
Mount Shasta is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of 14,179 feet, it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth-highest in the state. Wikipedia
Elevation: 4,322 m
Last eruption: 1786
Location: Siskiyou County, California
Topo map: USGS Mount Shasta
Mountain range: Cascade Range
Did you know: During the last 10,000 years, Shasta has, on average, erupted every eight hundred years, but in the past 4,500 years the volcano has erupted an average of every six hundred years.newworldencyclopedia.org
References:
study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-dormant-volcano-definition-facts-example.html
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormant_volcano
