Mauna Kea

Hawaii's two largest shield volcanoes, Mauna Loa (in the background to the south) and Mauna Kea, have dramatically differing profiles. Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, has the classic low-angle profile of a shield volcano constructed by repetitive eruptions of thin, overlapping lava flows. Mauna Kea is also a shield volcano formed in the same manner, but its profile has been modified by late-stage explosive eruptions, which constructed a series of cinder cones that cap its summit.

Type/Process: Shield Volcano
Volcanic Status: Radiocarbon
Image Number: 035-073
Photographer: Don Swanson (U.S. Geological Survey)
Summit Elevation: 4205 meters
Latitude/Longitude: 19.82 N / 155.47 W
Timeframe: Last known eruption B.C. (Holocene)
Region: Hawaii and Pacific Ocean