(しかざん)

しかざん
noun
extinct volcano
naturegeography
1. extinct volcano
A volcano considered no longer capable of erupting. The traditional classification opposed 死火山(しかざん) to 活火山(かっかざん) (active) and 休火山(きゅうかざん) (dormant), though modern Japanese geology has largely abandoned this three-way split.
あの(やま)死火山(しかざん)だ。
That mountain is an extinct volcano.
A mountain that had been called an extinct volcano erupted.
Currently, the Meteorological Agency does not use the category "extinct volcano," instead treating all volcanoes as active.

Compound of () (dead) + 火山(かざん) (volcano). The label is now considered scientifically unreliable because some "extinct" volcanoes have erupted again.

Related words

Usage

Still common in general speech and older textbooks, but rare in current scientific writing. Japanese volcanology now classifies volcanoes that have erupted in the last 10,000 years as 活火山(かっかざん).