4. Stages of Volcanoes

  • active: includes the cones that are erupting or show some signs of internal unrest.

    Below, we can see Mount St Helen's erupting in May of 1980. This volcano is just south of British Columbia, in Washington State. Ash from the volcano fell across BC including the Lower Mainland.


  • dormant: currently inactive volcanoes that have erupted in historic times and could possibly erupt in the future.

    Below is a photo of Mount Edziza, a dormant volcano in the Stikine Valley of BC.

    Photo of Mount Edziza from the Knowledge Network

  • extinct: no future activity appears possible.

    Huascarán, located in the western Andes region of Peru, is a dormant volcano which is the highest point in Peru and in all of the world's tropics.