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Shield Volcanoes
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Crater Lake
National Park, Craters Of The Moon National
Monument & Preserve, El Malpais National Monument,
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The broad shield of Mauna Loa (in the background) rising above the
Kīlauea caldera in the foreground. With a summit elevation of 13,677
feet (4169 m) above sea level, Mauna Loa is more than 7,500 feet
(2,280 m) in elevation higher than Kīlauea (4,091 feet; 1,247 m).
NPS photo by David Boyle.

Introduction
Although shield volcanoes are the largest volcanoes on
Earth, they do not form soaring mountains with conical
peaks like composite volcanoes. Instead, they are broad
volcanoes with gentle slopes and are shaped somewhat
like a warrior’s shield lying flat on the Earth. Shield
volcanoes have a convex shape as they are flatter near the
summit.

Shield volcanoes are truly massive with volumes that dwarf

other types of volcanoes, even large composite volcanoes.

Shield volcanoes are usually constructed almost entirely of

basaltic and/or andesitic lava flows which were very fluid
when erupted. They are built by repeated eruptions that
occurred intermittently over vast periods of time (up to a
million years or longer).

Shield volcanoes are much wider than they are tall. Mauna Loa’s
base on the sea floor is about 100 miles (160 km) wide. Mount
Rainier, the tallest composite volcano in the contiguous United
States, is about 14,000 feet (4,270) tall, but only about 10 mi ( 16 km)
wide. Overall, the bulk of shield volcanoes is substantially greater
than that of composite volcanoes.
Photo by U. S. Geolgical Survey. Graphic modified from “A Dynamic
Landscape Formed by the Power of Volcanoes,” by Rebecca H. Ashton, M.
S. Thesis, Oregon State University, 2003.

National Park Shield Volcanoes

At least 13 national parks contain shield volcanoes,
including:

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park contains parts of

Mauna Loa and Kīlauea, two of the most active shield
volcanoes on Earth. Although these volcanoes are
adjacent to one another, they have separate magma
systems and are thus independent of one another.

Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on the planet.

As measured from its base on the sea floor, the
mountain is almost 33,500 feet (10,211 m) tall, with
about 19,700 feet (6,000 m) of its total elevation
below sea level. The summit of Mauna Loa is slightly
lower in elevation than the nearby Mauna Kea
volcano, but Mauna Loa has a much greater volume.

Mauna Loa viewed from the flank of Mauna Kea. Younger lava flows
are darker than older flows. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park,
Hawai’i.
USGS photo.

Kīlauea volcano is one of the most active volcanoes

on Earth. With the exception of a quiet period
between 1924 and 1952, Kīlauea has been in eruption
for most of the interval that there are reliable written
records (e.g., since 1780 CE (Common Era)).
Eruptions have occurred from both the rift zones and
the summit caldera.

Lava flow during the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption in March 2018. The Puʻuʻōʻō
eruption on the East Rift Zone lasted from 1983-2018, which was the
longest documented eruption of Kīlauea. Hawai’i Volcanoes National
Park, Hawai’i.
NPS Photo by J. Wei.

Kilauea Featured Links

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP—Kīlauea Volcano

Eruption Update

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP—Kīlauea

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP—Webcams

USGS— Kīlauea Geology and History

Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historic Park is

located on the flank of Hualālai, one of the five
shield volcanoes that make up the island of
Hawai‘i.

Photo (right): The flank of Hualālai volcano looms over a

heiau (temple) and the ‘Ai‘ōpio fishtrap at Kaloko-Honokōhau

National Historical Park, Hawai’i.

NPS photo courtesy Jon Jokiel (Kaloko-Honokōhau National

Historical Park).

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska contains

eight andesitic shield volcanoes, including Mount
Wrangell which is the youngest. Mount Wrangell is
considered active since it is reported to have
experienced a short explosive eruption in 1930. Most
of the older volcanoes in the park, including Capital
Mountain, Tanada Peak, Mount Jarvis, and Mount
Blackburn, have been eroded and no longer retain
their shield shape, and some are poorly understood
because of the extensive glaciation in this volcanic
field.

Mount Wrangell with active fumaroles.

Photo by Anchorage resident Mike Case.

The Espenberg volcanic field in Bering Land Bridge

National Monument (Alaska) contains five small
shield volcanoes that formed during the Pleistocene.

Devil Mountain is the youngest shield volcano in Bering Land Bridge

National Preserve, Alaska.
Photo by Tim Orr, Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Lava Beds National Monument (California) is on the

northern flank of Medicine Lake Volcano, a large
shield volcano. The basaltic lava flows in the
monument range in age from about 114,000 to 1,000
years old .

Medicine Lake Volcano, California.

USGS photo.

See, More National Park Sites with Shield

Volcanoes

Overall Description

Left image
Schematic diagram of a shield volcano.
Credit: USGS illustration.

Right image
Diagram with feature labels.
Credit: USGS illustration.

Shield volcanoes have very gentle slopes of only a few

percent that become even more gentle near the summit.
The great width of these volcanoes relative to their height
is the result of the low viscosities of erupted lavas that
produce thin widespread lava flows, eruptions from both
the summit and fissure vents on the volcano’s flanks, and
widening and subsidence along the summit and rift zones.
Lava flows may travel in channels or in lava tubes great
distances from the vent where they were erupted.

Large shield volcanoes typically have calderas at their

summits which may contain long-lasting lava lakes. Shield
volcanoes may also have pit craters, which are smaller
collapse structures, often with vertical sides.

Large shield volcanoes are polygenetic, meaning that they

experience many eruptions during their lifetime.

Kīlauea’s Southwest Rift Zone and the East Rift Zone. More than
90% of Kīlauea’s surface is covered by lava flows that were erupted
within the last 1,000 years.
USGS graphic, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Magma Composition
Shield volcanoes are usually basalt but can be constructed
of mostly andesitic lava flows. Mauna Loa and Kīlauea
erupt almost exclusively basaltic lavas. Shield volcanoes in
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, are made up of andesitic
lava flows.

Eruption Types and Classification

107 EXPLOSIDNCLOUD,KILAVEAVOLCANOHOUSE

Most shield volcano eruptions are nonexplosive (effusive),

usually 0-1 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI),
typically in the Hawaiian eruptive style. These eruptions
produce fluid lava flows and may produce fire-fountains.
High rates of eruptions help produce lava flows that travel
fast and can cover large areas.

Rarely, more explosive phreatic or phreatomagmatic

eruptions may occur. Powerful phreatomagmatic eruptions
at Kīlauea have occurred at intervals during its history. One
interval lasted until about 1000 CE and another from about
1500 to 1800 CE. Explosive eruptions also took place in
1924 in the Kīlauea caldera.

Photo (right): Steam explosion in Halemauʻmaʻu on May 22, 1924 as seen

from Volcano House.

Photographer Tai Sing Loo.

Occurrence
Shield volcanoes occur anywhere where there is basaltic
(and sometimes andesitic) volcanism, including at oceanic
hot spot tracks such as in the Hawaiian Islands. They may
also be present at mid-ocean spreading ridges. They are
present in a wide variety of continental environments,
including adjacent to subduction zones, in continental
rift zones, and in other intercontinental settings.

Geologic Features on Shield

Volcanoes

Summit Calderas
Collapse calderas are usually located at the summit of
large shield volcanoes. These calderas form via
subsidence caused by removal of magma from the shallow
magma chamber underneath the summit by eruption or
intrusion, commonly on the flank of the volcano.

A shield volcano may have many summit calderas during

its lifespan as they may become filled with lava. Summit
calderas are dynamic as they may change due to further
subsidence, have active lava lakes, and/or contain pit
craters.

Kīlauea’s summit caldera dramatically changed in 2018. The lava lake in

the Halema‘uma‘u pit crater drained and then the pit crater subsided due

to magma withdrawal from the magma chamber beneath it. This image

shows ground cracks caused by the subsidence. The obvious flat surface

in the center of the image is the former floor of Halema‘uma‘u.

USGS photo.

Learn More

NPS—Summit Calderas

Lava Lakes
Lava lakes may form in some calderas or other vents on
shield volcanoes when there is good connectivity between
the vent and the magma supply. Mauna Loa and Kīlauea in
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park have both had persistent
lava lakes in their calderas at various points during
historical eruptions.

The snow-capped Mauna Loa behind the active lava lake in the
Halemaʻumaʻu pit crater in the Kīlauea caldera.
USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on January 28, 2021.

Learn More

NPS—Lava Lakes

Rift (Fissure) Zones

Eruptions that occur along rift (fissure) zones are a major
feature of some shield volcanoes, particularly the shield
volcanoes that make up Hawai‘i. The presence of rift zones
are responsible for these shield’s elongated shapes. Rift
zones and summit vents typically share the same
magmatic source with magma moving laterally from the
shallow magma chamber beneath the summit to feed rift
eruptions.

The rift zones on Mauna Loa and Kīlauea contain vents,

fissures, pit craters, spatter cones, cinder cones, and
grabens. Kīlauea’s rift zones are oriented parallel to the
mobile southern flank that accommodates spreading and
widening since Kīlauea is buttressed against Mauna Loa
on its northern flank. Eruptions occur along rift zones
because they are areas of weakness, hence allow
pathways for magma to travel within the volcanoes.

The rift zones on Mauna Loa and Kīlauea. Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone is
the most active of these two volcanoes’ rift zone, experiencing
eruptions from 1983 to 2018. Historical lava flows are shown in red.
Modified from the USGS map https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2809/.

Lava Flows
Shield volcanoes are constructed primarily of thin lava
flows that cover large areas. Basaltic shield volcanoes
such as Mauna Loa and Kīlauea in Hawai’i Volcanoes
National Park erupt primarily pāhoehoe and ‘a‘ā lavas.
Pāhoehoe lava flows have a smooth ropy surface and ‘a‘ā
has a rough rubbly or fragmented surface crust.

: A pāhoehoe flow on top of an older ‘a‘ā lava flow at Kīlauea

volcano.
USGS photo.

Lava Tubes
Lava tubes form when molten lava flows in channels
underneath a solidified crust of a lava flow. Empty tubes
can be left when lava drains out when it is redirected or
upon the end of an eruption.

In Hawai’i, lava tubes have great cultural importance. They

provided shelter to Native Hawaiians, and were central in
some ceremonies and burials.

Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) is in a 500-year-old lava tube in

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
NPS Photo / J. Wei.

Learn More

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP—Lava Tubes

NPS—Lava Caves/Tubes

Landslides
Landslides can play a significant role in shaping shield
volcanoes. Landslides are a major part of the life cycles of
the shield volcanoes in Hawai’i, including Mauna Loa and
Kīlauea.

Volcanic Hazards
Vog (volcanic smog) consists of SO2 (sulfur dioxide) gas
and aerosols produced by active shield volcanoes. It
presents a hazard both in the immediate area and to
people who are downwind.

Landslides along the flank of the volcano, subsidence at

calderas and pit craters, and active fumaroles may also
present volcanic hazards.

Featured Link

USGS—Frequently Asked Questions About

Volcanic Smog (vog)

Be Geohazard Aware ›

National Park Sites with Shield

Volcanoes ›
1. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (BELA), Alaska
—[BELA Geodiversity Atlas] [BELA Park Home]
[BELA npshistory.com]

2. Crater Lake National Park (CRKA), Oregon—[CRLA

Geodiversity Atlas] [CRLA Park Home] [CRLA
npshistory.com]

3. Craters of the Moon National Monument (CRMO),

Idaho—[CRMO Geodiversity Atlas] [CRMO Park
Home] [CRMO npshistory.com]

4. El Malpais National Monument (ELMA), New Mexico

—[ELMA Geodiversity Atlas] [ELMA Park Home]
[ELMA npshistory.com]

5. Haleakala National Park (HALE), Hawaii—[HALE

Geodiversity Atlas] [HALE Park Home] [HALE
npshistory.com]

6. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO), Hawai’i—

[HAVO Geodiversity Atlas] [HAVO Park Home]
[HAVO npshistory.com]

7. Kalaupapa National Historical Park (KALA), Hawai’i—

[KALA Geodiversity Atlas] [KALA Park Home]
[KALA npshistory.com]

8. Lassen Volcanic National Park (LAVO), California—

[LAVO Geodiversity Atlas] [LAVO Park Home]
[LAVO npshistory.com]

9. Lava Beds National Monument (LABE), California—

[LABE Geodiversity Atlas] [LABE Park Home]
[LABE npshistory.com]

10. National Park of American Samoa (NPSA), American

Samoa—[NPSA Geodiversity Atlas] [NPSA Park
Home] [NPSA npshistory.com]

11. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

(SAMO), California—[SAMO Geodiversity Atlas]
[SAMO Park Home] [SAMO npshistory.com]

12. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

(WRST), Alaska—[WRST Geodiversity Atlas] [WRST
Park Home] [WRST npshistory.com]

13. Yellowstone National Park (YELL), Wyoming—[YELL

Geodiversity Atlas] [YELL Park Home] [YELL
npshistory.com]

Related Links
NPS Caves and Karst—Lava Caves/Tubes

NPS Volcanoes, Craters & Lava Flows—Be

Geohazard Aware