A large shield volcano in the Danakil desert (Ethiopia)
Erta Ale shield volcano with its lava lake in the summit caldera
Hiking up the flat slope of Erta Ale's shield volcano
Shield volcanoes are volcanoes that mainly erupt fluid (usually basaltic) lava flows that are able to travel over long distances and thus construct over time broad, gentle slopes. They are called shield volcanoes, because they resemble the shape of a warriors' shield.
Shield volcanoes are volcanoes that mainly erupt fluid (usually basaltic) lava flows that are able to travel over long distances and thus construct over time broad, gentle slopes. They are called shield volcanoes, because they resemble the shape of a warriors' shield.
While stratovolcanoes, the other major morphological type of volcanoes, are representative for most subduction-type volcanoes, shield volcanoes are typically formed by basaltic hot-spot volcanoes such as on Hawaii (e.g. Mauna Loa, Kilauea). Among these are the largest mountains on earth.
Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawai`i, the classic shield volcano, is the largest volcano on Earth. With an elevation of 4,170 m above sea level, its long submarine flanks descend to the sea floor an additional 5 km, and the sea floor in turn is depressed by Mauna Loa's great mass another 8 km. This makes the volcano's summit about 17 km (56,000 ft) above its base! The volcano is constructed of an estimated 80,000 km3 of basalt! For more information about Mauna Loa, see the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website. (Abbreviated from USGS Photoglossary).
