Extinct volcano
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An extinct volcano is a volcano which is not currently erupting and which is not considered likely to erupt in the future.
It is difficult to distinguish an extinct volcano from a dormant one because volcanoes are usually considered to be extinct if there are no written records of its activity. Nevertheless volcanoes may remain dormant for a long period of time and it is not uncommon for a so-called "extinct" volcano to erupt again. Vesuvius was thought to be extinct before its famous eruption of AD 79, which destroyed the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii. More recently, the long-dormant Soufrière Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat was thought to be extinct before activity resumed in 1995. The most recent example is Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska, which prior to September 2006 is not believed to have erupted since earlier than 7994 BC.
The Auvergne region of France has 50 extinct volcanoes, which have not erupted for more than 6,000 years and have been eroded away, leaving plugs of unerupted hardened magma, which look like rounded hilltops.
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