Let Sleeping Volcanoes Lie! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hawaii

Mauna Kea is the highest point in the state of Hawaii, and one of five volcanoes that joined to make the island that is called Hawaii. Believed to have formed about a million years ago, its last eruption was in approximately 2460 BC. People have been living in its area since the 12-13th centuries, hunting and collecting basalt, which was used to make tools.

Okay! So let's have a quick look at volcano types. An active volcano is one that has recently erupted and probably will erupt again sometime in the near future. A dormant volcano has not erupted for a while, but probably will again at some point, and an extinct volcano last erupted in the very distant geological past - say, 10,000 years ago, and probably will never erupt again.

Answer: Azores

Sete Cidades is located on the island of São Miguel, which is part of the Azores, an island chain in the Atlantic Ocean that is an autonomous region of Portugal. The caldera of the volcano was formed about 22,000 years ago, and there were at least twenty-two more eruptions after that, with the last one taking place in 1880.

Well, what exactly constitutes a volcanic eruption? If a volcano is currently releasing either lava or gas, it is erupting. There are currently four types of eruptions that have been classified and named - Hawai'ian, Strombolian, Vulcanian, and Plinian.

Answer: Canary Islands

Mount Teide is located on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, which are part of Spain. The third highest volcano in the world, Mount Teide was formed 170,000 years ago. Its last eruption was in 1909.

This is a good example of the difficulty associated with classifying volcanoes. While some sources say that Mount Teide is dormant, others say it is active. In 2003 seismic activity caused a rift in the volcano, however, no eruption occurred. There is, however, much active debate regarding future eruptions, with one group of scientists claiming in 2006 that there was not much threat to the people who live on the island or visitors; another group said in 2009 that the volcano will probably violently erupt in the future. Currently about a million people live on the island.

Answer: Turkey

Mount Ararat is currently a dormant volcano that was formed about 2 million years ago. Its last eruption took placed in 1840; today it is covered by an ice cap that scientists believe has shrunk approximately 29% in area from 1976-2011. Of course, Mount Ararat is already famous because the Bible states that it is where Noah's Ark landed after the Great Flood.

So how long does a volcano have to quit erupting before it is considered to be dormant? It's complicated - it looks like there is no set time on determining that. As long as a volcano is not currently erupting, it is dormant. I'm sure that's small consolation for people who have chosen to live nearby!

Answer: Italy

Solfatara is located near Naples, and is part of an area called the Phlegraean Fields. Formed approximately 4,000 years ago, Solfatara's last eruption was in 1198. Even though scientists have labeled Solfatara a dormant volcano, it does regularly emit fumes.

In ancient times people believed it to be the home of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. They also believed the fumes from Solfatara had medicinal value. In 2003 the area of the Phlegraean Fields was made a regional park, and is a popular wine growing area.

So, is emitting fumes the same as releasing gas? Not necessarily. The most abundant volcanic gas is water vapor.

Answer: Japan

Old Mount Fuji was formed about 100,000 years ago. New Mount Fuji, which is what is visible today, lies on top of the older volcano, and was formed about 10,000 years ago. The highest mountain in Japan, New Mount Fiji's last eruption took place in 1707.

Because Mount Fuji is only about 60 miles (100 km) from Tokyo, it is closely monitored by scientists, as some sources classify it is an active volcano. It is estimated that 750,000 people could potentially have to be evacuated if or when it erupts again.

Answer: Argentina

Aconcagua carries many distinctions; it is the highest mountain in the Southern Hemisphere and the highest in North and South America. Some scientists believe it is a dormant volcano, while others say it is extinct. It has been sleeping, nevertheless, for about 9.5 million years. A popular destination for mountain climbers, it takes 17-20 days to make the ascent to the top, depending on the route chosen.

So you may be wondering how many of these volcanoes are extinct, rather than dormant. Scientists say that it is very difficult to tell the difference because some sleeping giants may remain dormant for quite a long time. For example, before the tragic eruption in 1980, scientists believed that Mt. St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington was an extinct volcano.

Answer: Washington, U.S.

Mount Rainier is the highest point of the Cascade Mountains. Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, its last eruption was recorded in 1854, although other volcano activity was reported to the end of the 19th century. An estimated 150,000 people live on the mountain itself, and the effects of a future explosion could be felt all the way to San Francisco to the south, and Vancouver to the north.

Even though it is considered to be inactive, Mount Rainier is on a list called Decade Volcanoes, which was made by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior. The sixteen volcanoes on the list are the ones most likely to cause the most damage to the most people, should they erupt in the future. Mount Teide, also featured in this quiz, is found on the list as well.

Answer: Tanzania

The highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro consists of three volcanic cones, called Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. While Mawenzi began erupting about a million yearso ago, Shira's first eruptions are believed to have started about 2.5 million years ago. There isn't much information regarding the last time either erupted. Kibo is labeled as being dormant because it still has fumaroles; its last eruption was approximately 360,000 years ago.

A fumarole is a vent that can emit gas or steam vapors from time to time. Some of the gas vapors, in the form of carbon dioxide or hydrogen fluoride, can be quite dangerous, but their presence does not necessary mean that a volcano is going to erupt soon. For example, there are fumaroles all over Yellowstone in the western United States, and the last huge volcanic event there was believed to have occurred 70,000 years ago.

Answer: Mauritius

The island of Mauritius is a volcanic island, and Trou aux Cerfs came into existence during the second phase of the activity that created it around two million years ago. The volcano has not been active for quite some time - scientists believe that it only erupted one time, as long ago as 700,000 years (sources greatly vary as some same 10,000), but they do expect that another eruption can happen.

If I have learned one thing during my research, it's that even experts in the field don't agree on dates and numbers regarding volcanic eruptions that occurred in prehistoric times. I wonder if people who live in volcanic regions worry much about another eruption? Although volcanic activity can be monitored, it is not entirely possible to accurately predict an eruption.