What are specific characteristics about a shield volcano?
Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows of low viscosity – lava that flows easily. Consequently, a volcanic mountain having a broad profile is built up over time by flow after flow of relatively fluid basaltic lava issuing from vents or fissures on the surface of the volcano. Many of the largest volcanoes on Earth are shield volcanoes. The largest in terms of area covered is Mauna Loa of Hawai’i; the tallest measured from its base under the ocean, however, is Mauna Kea of Hawai’i. All the volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands are shield volcanoes.
