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Classification of Volcanoes

Volcanoes can be classified as active, dormant, or extinct based on their current and expected future eruption activity. Approximately 500 volcanoes are currently considered active, erupting within the past year. Dormant volcanoes are not currently erupting but have the potential to erupt again, such as Mauna Kea which last erupted 3,500 years ago. Extinct volcanoes are considered inactive and are not expected to erupt again, like Kohala volcano which has been inactive for over 60,000 years.

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336 views1 page

Classification of Volcanoes

Volcanoes can be classified as active, dormant, or extinct based on their current and expected future eruption activity. Approximately 500 volcanoes are currently considered active, erupting within the past year. Dormant volcanoes are not currently erupting but have the potential to erupt again, such as Mauna Kea which last erupted 3,500 years ago. Extinct volcanoes are considered inactive and are not expected to erupt again, like Kohala volcano which has been inactive for over 60,000 years.

Uploaded by

Mary Joselyn Bodiongan
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Classification of Volcanoes

Active Volcanoes

A volcano is a rupture in the earth's surface that allows hot material from the interior, including steam and lava,
to escape. A volcano is classified as active if it is currently erupting or is expected to erupt in the near future.
Approximately 500 volcanoes on Earth are classified as active, not including volcanoes that are submerged under the
oceans. Between 50 and 70 active volcanoes erupt every year. Kilauea, one of the five volcanoes that make up the Big
Island of Hawaii, has been erupting continuously since 1983. Volcanoes that are not active are classified as either as
dormant (may become active) or extinct.

Dormant Volcanoes

A dormant volcano is one that is not currently erupting but has erupted within recordable history and is
expected to erupt again in the future. The line between active and dormant volcanoes is sometimes blurred; some
volcanoes can remain dormant for thousands of years between eruptions, so technically they are expected to erupt in
the future, but it could take many lifetimes before that happens. Mauna Kea, another one of the five volcanoes on the
Big Island, last erupted 3,500 years ago but it is expected to erupt again, although there is no prediction as to when that
event could take place. Dormant volcanoes are often the most dangerous as people are complacent living within their
vicinity and are generally unprepared when an eruption does come. This was the case with Mt. St. Helens in 1980.

Extinct Volcanoes

Extinct volcanoes are considered dead and are not expected to ever erupt again. Kohala, the oldest volcano on
the Big Island of Hawaii, has not erupted in 60,000 years and is not expected to ever become active again. But this
classification is not an entirely definitive determination, because many Hawaiian volcanoes have gone through a stage of
rejuvenation.

Type Classifications

Volcanoes can also be classified by type. The structure and composition determine a volcano’s type. Shield volcanoes are
low, dome-shaped mountains shaped by lava that flows easily and covers a large area. Cinder cone volcanoes are the
simplest form; they erupt from a single vent and usually have a bowl-shaped crater at the summit. Composite, or strato,
volcanoes are the most common type; they are tall mountains with steep sides, having alternating internal layers of rock
and magma.

Eruption Classification

Two basic classifications of volcanoes are based upon the type of eruption they produce: explosive (or central) and quiet
(or fissure). Explosive eruptions are caused by the buildup of gasses under highly viscous (thick and slow-flowing) magma
trapped deep within the volcano. Eruptions are rapid and violent, often spewing lava, ash and volcanic material high into
the air. Quiet eruptions usually emit great volumes of lava along a long fissure or fracture. Lavas typically have low
viscosities so the gases are not prevented from readily escaping.

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