Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea, Hawaii's highest volcano, is seen here from the south at the broad Humuulu Saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The fresh lava flow in the foreground was emplaced during an 1843 eruption that originated on the NE rift zone of Mauna Loa. The flow traveled directly north to the Mauna Kea saddle, where it was deflected to the west. The irregular profile of the unvegetated summit region of Mauna Kea shield volcano is produced by a cap of cinder cones and pyroclastic ejecta that is not present at Mauna Loa.

Type/Process: Shield Volcano
Volcanic Status: Radiocarbon
Image Number: 035-051
Photographer: Paul Kimberly, 1994 (Smithsonian Institution)
Summit Elevation: 4170 meters
Latitude/Longitude: 19.475 N / 155.608 W
Timeframe: Last known eruption B.C. (Holocene)
Region: Hawaii and Pacific Ocean