An extinct volcano is a volcano which scientists consider unlikely to erupt again. A volcano that has not erupted in the past 10,000 years is often listed as extinct.
The extinct volcano no longer has a magma supply. An extinct volcano is no longer near an active geologic hot spot, if it ever was.
Volcanologists sometimes can't tell whether a volcano is extinct or dormant. A caldera that has not produced an eruption in tens of thousands of years is likely to be considered inactive. Dormant volcanoes may still erupt, whereas extinct ones cannot.
There are many examples of extinct volcanoes.
- Olympus Mons on Mars, the biggest volcano in the Solar System.
- Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain in the northern Pacific Ocean
- Huascarán in Peru
- Kyushu-Palau Ridge in the Philippine Sea
- Mount Buninyong in Victoria Australia
- Tamu Massif in the Northwest Pacific Ocean
- Waw an-Namus in Libya
- Edinburgh Castle in Scotland is located on a dolerite plug, the remnant of a volcano that went extinct many millions of years ago.
- Dhosi Hill in Haryana, India is an extinct volcano that has been sleeping for 770 million years.
- La Garita Caldera in Colorado, United States