Question: How do volcanoes become extinct?

James Verdon answered on 28 Jun 2012:

Hi megansaurus,
Volcanoes go extinct where there is no more molten magma for them to erupt. Volcanoes form when there is a heat source, either in the crust or below in the mantle, that heats up the rocks and melts them, creating magma that can be erupted through a volcano. Obviously, after a while the heat source might die down again, or maybe plate tectonics will push the heat source to a different area. With no more heat, all the magma at the volcano will solidify, and there will be nothing left to erupt. At this point, the volcano can be considered extinct.