These volcanoes get their name from their shape- that of a turtle shell or a shield carried by an ancient warrior.
Shield volcanoes form low angled hills or mountains- generally less than 10 degrees.
Even though they do not have impressive shapes they can form some of the tallest and largest mountains on earth. Mona Loa volcano on Hawaii(above) is 65 miles in diameter at its base and is the tallest mountain on earth. It stands 13,674 feet above sea level, but it had to build itself up some 16,400 feet just to reach sealevel.
Shield volcanoes are composed of lava flows, hundreds and hundreds, one on top of the other. Mona Loa took about 1 million years to get to its present size.
Most common places to find shield volcanoes are at divergent plate margins and hot spots.
Shield volcanoes are composed of three different kinds of lava flows- all related to the same family:
Hazards
PreCambrian Occurrences