However, they are... Dormant Volcanoes. And when it comes to geological features, timing is quite difficult for us mere mortals. An extinct volcano would be one that nobody expects to ever erupt again. In short, knowing if a volcano is active, dormant, or extinct is complicated and all comes down to timing. Difference Between an Active, Dormant, and Extinct Volcano Active Volcanoes. A dormant volcano is an active volcano that is not erupting, but supposed to erupt again. Extinct volcanoes are essentially dead. As such, some volcanologists refer to extinct volcanoes as inactive, and some volcanoes once thought to be extinct are now referred to as dormant.

A dormant volcano is a volcano that has not erupted for a while but has the possibility of doing so in the future. These are human definitions of natural things – there have been a number of eruptions from “extinct” volcanoes!

If your volcano hasn't erupted in over a million years, you have yourself an ex-volcano. A dormant volcano would then be one that hasn’t erupted in the past 10,000 years, but which is expected to erupt again. An extinct volcano has not had an eruption for at least 10,000 years and is not expected to erupt again in a comparable time scale of the future. The difference between an Dormant and A extinct volcano is the Dormant volcano: is Known not to erupt and an Extinct: volcano will not erupti

As such, some volcanologists refer to extinct volcanoes as inactive, and some volcanoes once thought to be extinct are now referred to as dormant. Dormant volcanoes are ones that are not currently active, and haven’t been in awhile, but were in the past and could become so again at some point in the future. Asked in Volcanoes Researchers do not currently agree on an official definition of active volcanoes. If your volcano has erupted in the past but right now is quiet, it is likely dormant. As such, some volcanologists refer to extinct volcanoes as inactive, and some volcanoes once thought to be extinct are now referred to as dormant. They are, essentially, waiting. An extinct volcano is a volcano that will not erupt again.