But in the … This ∼12.5-14.1 Ma volcano in the northwest Hawaiian Ridge (NWHR) is twice the size of Mauna Loa volcano (148 ± 29 vs. 74.0 × 10 3 km 3), which was assumed to be not only the largest Hawaiian volcano but also the largest known shield volcano. The shield volcanoes of the Galápagos are among the youngest chains of volcanic islands. For example, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the big island of Hawaii are examples of shield volcanoes… There are a few other examples in remote locations that are either uninhabited or sparsely inhabited. Flow after flow pours out in all directions from a central summit vent, or group of vents, building a broad, gently sloping cone of flat, domical shape, with a profile much like that of a warrior's shield. All of the volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands are shield volcanoes. [36], Icelandic shields are mostly small (~15 km3 (4 cu mi)), symmetrical (although this can be affected by surface topography), and characterized by eruptions from summit calderas. These lava flows can be anywhere between 2 and 20 m (10 and 70 ft) thick. [41] Other volcanic centers include Menengai, a massive shield caldera,[42] and Mount Marsabit in Kenya. In northern California and Oregon, they can be 5-10 km across and about 500 meters high. Large shield volcanoes can be three to four miles in diameter. [19], ʻAʻa advances over solidified pāhoehoe on Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi, A pāhoehoe lava fountain on Kīlauea erupts, A lava lake in the caldera of Erta Ale, an active shield volcano in Ethiopia, Pāhoehoe flows enter the Pacific Ocean on Hawaiʻi island, Puʻu ʻŌʻō, a parasitic cinder cone on Kīlauea, lava fountaining at dusk in June 1983, near the start of its eruptive cycle, The Thurston lava tube on Hawaiʻi island, now a tourist attraction in the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Shield volcanoes are found worldwide. The composition of the lavas of the Galápagos shields are strikingly similar to those of the Hawaiian volcanoes. [24] Most mature shield volcanoes have multiple cinder cones on their flanks, the results of tephra ejections common during incessant activity and markers of currently and formerly active sites on the volcano. The Hawaiian and Galápagos shields, and other hotspot shields like them, are constructed of oceanic island basalt. Some of the largest volcanoes in the world are shield volcanoes. [26], Features common in shield volcanism include lava tubes. They are not alone in this regard; the Cobb–Eickelberg Seamount chain in the North Pacific is another example of such a delineated chain. The most active shield volcano in Africa is Nyamuragira. [27], In some shield volcano eruptions, basaltic lava pours out of a long fissure instead of a central vent, and shrouds the countryside with a long band of volcanic material in the form of a broad plateau. [13], Calderas are a common feature on shield volcanoes. It is a gigantic high-potassium basaltic shield volcano that releases a huge amount of sulfur dioxide upon eruption. Its most recent eruption is as early as April 2009. Piton de la Fournaise - on Reunion Island, Prince Edward Island Volcano - South African island, Bouvet - remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, La Grille - on the island of Grande Comore in the Indian Ocean. These are eruptive features which occur along linear fissure vents and are distinguished from shield volcanoes by the lack of an identifiable primary eruptive center. Types of volcano - composite and shield. Many shield volcanoes are found in ocean basins, such as Tamu Massif, the world's largest, although they can be found inland as well—East Africa being one example of this. [8] They are fueled by the movement of the Pacific Plate over the Hawaii hotspot and form a long chain of volcanoes, atolls, and seamounts 2,600 km (1,616 mi) long with a total volume of over 750,000 km3 (179,935 cu mi). There are quite a few shield volcanoes in North America, including some located on islands that are usually considered to be part of the continent. The Hawaiian Islands are composed of linear chains of these volcanoes including Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii-- two of the world's most active volcanoes. All Rights Reserved, Piton de la Fournaise as shield volcano example. [1] They include the largest volcanoes on earth, such as Tamu Massif and Mauna Loa. Fissure venting is common in Hawaiʻi; most Hawaiian eruptions begin with a so-called "wall of fire" along a major fissure line before centralizing to a small number of points. [29], The largest and most prominent shield volcano chain in the world is the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, a chain of hotspot volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. This type of volcano is formed as a result of lava flowing over a period of time. [18], Rift zones are a prevalent feature on shield volcanoes that is rare on other volcanic types. This active volcano on the Caribbean island of Martinique erupted in 1902 and wiped out the city of St Pierre within minutes of erupting. It is located about 16 km (10 mi) south of Nyamuragira's caldera. The tholeiitic shields tend to be wider and shallower than the picritic shields. Asia's shield volcanoes are located in Japan, Korea, Yemen, and Turkey. Their lavas are characterized by high levels of sodium, potassium, and aluminium. However, they are most characteristic of ocean island volcanism associated with hot spots or with continental rift volcanism. [2] Giant shield volcanoes are found on other planets of the Solar System, including Olympus Mons on Mars[3] and Sapas Mons on Venus. [14] Accounting for this subsidence and for the height of the volcano above the sea floor, the "true" height of Mauna Loa from the start of its eruptive history is about 17,170 m (56,000 ft). [22] These eruptions, the least explosive of volcanic events, are characterized by the effusive emission of highly fluid basaltic lavas with low gaseous content. [5][6], Shield volcanoes are distinguished from the three other major volcanic types—stratovolcanoes, lava domes, and cinder cones—by their structural form, a consequence of their particular magmatic composition. Although shield volcanoes are not usually associated with subduction, they can occur over subduction zones. Geoscientists and the public have long thought Mauna Loa, a culturally-significant and active shield volcano on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, was the largest volcano in the world. La Cumbre is an active shield volcano on Fernandina Island that has been erupting since April 11, 2009. [26] The largest island, Isabela, consists of six coalesced shield volcanoes, each delineated by a large summit caldera. Another place that you can find multiple shield volcanoes is in Iceland. Shield volcanoes are found near the rift and off the coast of Africa, although stratovolcanoes are more common. Española, the oldest island, and Fernandina, the youngest, are also shield volcanoes, as are most of the other islands in the chain. Shield volcanoes pop up in various spots around the world, andhave distinctive featureswherever they appear. [19], Flows from Hawaiian eruptions can be divided into two types by their structural characteristics: pāhoehoe lava which is relatively smooth and flows with a ropey texture, and ʻaʻā flows which are denser, more viscous (and thus slower moving) and blockier. It is on the Big Island of Hawaii. Menengai Crater is a massive shield volcano with one of the biggest calderas in the world, in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. There are a few shield volcanoes in Canada. The large, decentralized shape of Hawaiian volcanoes as compared to their smaller, symmetrical Icelandic cousins[8] can be attributed to rift eruptions. Examples of shield volcanoes are Kilauea and Mauna Loa (and their Hawaiian friends), Fernandina (and its Galápagos friends), Karthala, Erta Ale, Tolbachik, Masaya, and many others. This accounts for their asymmetrical shape, whereas Icelandic volcanoes follow a pattern of central eruptions dominated by summit calderas, causing the lava to be more evenly distributed or symmetrical. Many of the biggest volcanoes in existence are shield volcanoes. The current eruption of Kilauea started in 1983, which means that it has gone on for more than 30 years. Start by exploring the other types of volcanoes. If this topic captures your attention, continue expanding your scientific knowledge by learning more about the natural world. There are two main types of volcano - composite and shield.The two types of volcano form in different places and have very different characteristics. [33][35] Of the 21 emergent volcanoes, 13 are considered active. Pāhoehoe flows, in contrast, move in more conventional sheets, or by the advancement of lava "toes" in snaking lava columns. In addition, there is no clear pattern of age between the volcanoes, suggesting a complicated, irregular pattern of creation. There are three primary types of volcanoes, each with unique physical characteristics and eruptive natures. Shield Volcanoes in Asia. The largest is Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii; all the volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands are shield volcanoes. They are formed and reformed over the volcano's lifespan. Instead of flat shield … Composite volcanoes are explosive, towering giants. They are driven by the Galápagos hotspot, and are between approximately 4.2 million and 700,000 years of age. Sif Mons, a shield volcano on Venus, in a low-angle computer-generated view based on radar data from the Magellan spacecraft. One interesting characteristic of East African volcanism is a penchant for the formation of lava lakes; these semi-permanent lava bodies, extremely rare elsewhere, form in about 9% of African eruptions.[41]. While there are many examples of shield volcanoes, a few are particularly notable due to factors like their size or how active they are. This shield volcano is on the island of Hawaii and is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. There are some shield volcanoes in Antarctica. These volcanoes are also usually smaller than those in other locations and are generally symmetrical and their eruptions usually occur from their summit calderas. Rift zones are a prominent feature on these volcanoes and account for their seemingly random volcanic structure. [39], Located over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is the site of about 130 volcanoes of various types. Mexico is home to several shield volcanoes. [44][45][46] The highest of these, Olympus Mons, is the tallest known mountain on any planet in the solar system. Some volcanoes interact with both. Magma conduit is the main pipe that delivers the magma from the magma chamber during eruptions. Over millions of years, the tectonic movement that moves continents also creates long volcanic trails across the seafloor. EARTH — A volcano is an opening in the earth's surface where molten rock can escape. [40] They do not follow the pattern of caldera growth and destruction that other shield volcanoes do; caldera may form, but they generally do not disappear. Lava flows from the most recent century extend down the flanks more than 30 km (19 mi) from the summit, reaching as far as Lake Kivu. [12][19] An example of these parasitic cones is at Puʻu ʻŌʻō on Kīlauea[20]—continuous activity ongoing since 1983 has built up a 2,290 ft (698 m) tall cone at the site of one of the longest-lasting rift eruptions in known history. Plateaus of this type exist in Iceland, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho; the most prominent ones are situated along the Snake River in Idaho and the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon, where they have been measured to be over 1 mi (2 km) in thickness. Like Hawaiian volcanoes, their formation initially begins with several eruptive centers before centralizing and concentrating at a single point. Venus has over 150 shield volcanoes which are much flatter, with a larger surface area than those found on Earth, some having a diameter of more than 700 km (430 mi). Shield volcanoes can form from one single long-term eruption or over the course of several eruptions. Shield volcanoes are built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. Long eruptive periods form cinder cones, which then collapse over time to form calderas. The floor of the ocean is more than 15,000 feet deep at … [4], The term 'shield volcano' is taken from the German term Schildvulkan, coined by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess in 1888 and which had been calqued into English by 1910. [27] Kīlauea, another Hawaiian shield volcano, is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, with its most recent eruption occurring in 2021. The calderas are often filled up by progressive eruptions, or formed elsewhere, and this cycle of collapse and regeneration takes place throughout the volcano's lifespan. These lavas travel a far greater distance than those of other eruptive types before solidifying, forming extremely wide but relatively thin magmatic sheets often less than 1 m (3 ft) thick. Erta Ale in Ethiopia is another active shield volcano and one of the few places in the world with a permanent lava lake, which has been active since at least 1967, and possibly since 1906. Kilauea volcano, a youthful shield volcano, sitting on the south east flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano, is the youngest volcano (on land) of the Hawaiian hot spot and not only the most active volcano of Hawaii but at the same time also the world's active volcano. For example, some of the most famous shield volcanoes in the world are: Mauna Loa (Hawaii) Kilauea (Hawaii) Fernandina Island (Galapagos Islands) Fernandina Island is an active shield volcano in the Galapagos Islands. It was the … Central-vent eruptions, meanwhile, often take the form of large lava fountains (both continuous and sporadic), which can reach heights of hundreds of meters or more. The most common place to find shield volcanoes is over hotspots (such as Hawai'i, the Galapagos, etc.). [/caption] Shield volcanoes are some of the largest volcanoes in the world. A… Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the entire island chain, and it is rather young as far as volcanoes go, only about 300,000 to 600,000 years old. [16] In September 2013, a team led by the University of Houston's William Sager announced the discovery of Tamu Massif, an enormous extinct submarine shield volcano of previously unknown origin which, approximately 450 by 650 km (280 by 400 mi) in area, dwarfs all previously known volcanoes on the planet. Curiously, they do not form the same volcanic "line" associated with most hotspots. However, the extents of the volcano have not been confirmed. They can form over hotspots (points where magma from below the surface wells up), such as the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain and the Galápagos Islands, or over more conventional rift zones, such as the Icelandic shields and the shield volcanoes of East Africa. Shield volcanoes are found worldwide. The volcanoes there are relatively smaller and more closely grouped than shield volcanoes elsewhere. Some volcanoes, such as Mount Wrangell in Alaska and Cofre de Perote in Mexico, exhibit large enough swings in their historical magmatic eruptive characteristics to cast strict categorical assignment in doubt; one geological study of de Perote went so far as to suggest the term "compound shield-like volcano" instead. [32], The chain includes Mauna Loa, a shield volcano which stands 4,170 m (13,680 ft) above sea level and reaches a further 13 km (8 mi) below the waterline and into the crust, approximately 80,000 km3 (19,000 cu mi) of rock. Location: No recent earthquakes. The Geophysics Institute at the National Polytechnic School in Quito houses an international team of seismologists and volcanologists[37] whose responsibility is to monitor Ecuador's numerous active volcanoes in the Andean Volcanic Belt and the Galapagos Islands. Asia's shield volcanoes are located in Japan, Korea, Yemen, and Turkey. Hawaii's Mauna Loa is the largest shield volcano in the world. Yemen has a few shield volcanoes, while Turkey has two. Background Fernandina, the most active of Galápagos volcanoes and the one closest to the Galápagos mantle plume, is a basaltic shield volcano with a deep 5 x 6.5 km summit caldera. There are also a few of these types of volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands, which are considered to be part of North America. ʻAʻā lava flows move through pressure— the partially solidified front of the flow steepens because of the mass of flowing lava behind it until it breaks off, after which the general mass behind it moves forward. [7], Active shield volcanoes experience near-continuous eruptive activity over extremely long periods of time, resulting in the gradual build-up of edifices that can reach extremely large dimensions. This surface resembles a warrior's shield, which is why they are described as shield volcanoes. Discover some shield volcano examples from around the world and their locations. There are shield volcanoes in a few additional European locations. [31], The youngest part of the chain is Hawaii, where the volcanoes are characterized by frequent rift eruptions, their large size (thousands of km3 in volume), and their rough, decentralized shape. Volcanic features on Mars were observed long before they were first studied in detail during the 1976–1979 Viking mission. [13][8][19][20], Most of what is currently known about shield volcanic eruptive character has been gleaned from studies done on the volcanoes of Hawaiʻi Island, by far the most intensively studied of all shields because of their scientific accessibility;[21] the island lends its name to the slow-moving, effusive eruptions typical of shield volcanism, known as Hawaiian eruptions. View recent quakes. These structures help further the propagation of lava, as the walls of the tube insulate the lava within. Ethiopia and Kenya are not the only areas in Africa where there are shield volcanoes. Typical shield volcanoes found in California and Oregon measure 3 to 4 mi (5 to 6 km) in diameter and 1,500 to 2,000 ft (500 to 600 m) in height,[7] while shield volcanoes in the central Mexican Michoacán–Guanajuato volcanic field average 340 m (1,100 ft) in height and 4,100 m (13,500 ft) in width, with an average slope angle of 9.4° and an average volume of 1.7 km3 (0.4 cu mi). [30] The chain contains at least 43 major volcanoes, and Meiji Seamount at its terminus near the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench is 85 million years old. The country of Turkey straddles the border of Asia and Europe. They can form over hotspots (points where magma from below the surface wells up), such as the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain and the Galápagos Islands, or over more conventional rift zones, such as the Icelandic shields and the shield volcanoes of East Africa. [23], Although most shield volcanoes are by volume almost entirely Hawaiian and basaltic in origin, they are rarely exclusively so. Repeated eruptions results in the steady accumulation of broad sheets of lava, building up the shield volcano's distinctive form. Kamchatka is a peninsula located in the far east of Russia, near its boundary with Asia. Shield volcanoes can be found around the world. Of these four forms, shield volcanoes erupt the least viscous lavas. Oceania includes the continent of Australia, New Zealand and a number of islands located in the South Pacific Ocean. Some of the best-known shield volcanoes are found in the Hawaiian Islands. Many examples are found in California and Oregon, including Prospect Peak in Lassen Volcanic … Stratovolcanoes (Composite Cones) Stratovolcanoes are tall and cone-shaped. [25], The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are not located near any plate boundaries; the volcanic activity of this island chain is distributed by the movement of the oceanic plate over an upwelling of magma known as a hotspot. In height they are typically about one twentieth their width. It is located in Africa and is a big tourist attraction that has over the years, formed smaller volcanoes that were short-lived post eruptions from the volcano's flanks. They are named for their low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground.This is caused by the highly fluid (low viscosity) lava they erupt which travels farther than lava erupted from stratovolcanoes. Low viscosity lavas cannot be piled up very steeply so they form shield volcanoes. Eruptions at the shield volcano are generally centered within the large summit caldera or on the numerous fissures and cinder cones on the volcano's flanks. Located at the western end of the elevated region Eistla Regio, south of Ishtar Terra, the volcano is about 2 km (1.2 miles) high and has a base 300 km (200 miles) in diameter. There are several shield volcanoes in the northwestern portion of the United States (U.S.) and its Hawaiian Islands. The country of Turkey straddles the border of Asia and Europe. [36] They are composed of either tholeiitic olivine or picritic basalt. Cinder cone volcanoes are the smallest and simplest, but still pack a volcanic punch. [17], Shield volcanoes feature a gentle (usually 2° to 3°) slope that gradually steepens with elevation (reaching approximately 10°) before flattening near the summit, forming an overall upwardly convex shape. The earth's crust is made up of tectonic plates that shift and move. Though the top of the flow quickly cools down, the molten underbelly of the flow is buffered by the solidifying rock above it, and by this mechanism, ʻaʻā flows can sustain movement for long periods of time. It is one of the most active of all the shield volcanoes. [12], Interactions between water and lava at shield volcanoes can cause some eruptions to become hydrovolcanic. A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. Although sparsely studied, the fact that all of its volcanoes are of Holocene age reflects how young the volcanic center is. Whereas stratovolcanoes and lava domes are the product of highly viscous flows, and cinder cones are constructed of explosively eruptive tephra, shield volcanoes are the product of gentle effusive eruptions of highly fluid lavas that produce, over time, a broad, gently sloped eponymous "shield". [20] Icelandic shield volcanoes are generally of Holocene age, between 5,000 and 10,000 years old, except for the island of Surtsey, a Surtseyan shield. The shield volcanoes of Mars are very similar to the shield volcanoes on Earth. Kilauea last erupted in 2020. [13][8][19] Low volumes of such lavas layered over long periods of time are what slowly constructs the characteristically low, broad profile of a mature shield volcano. Inactive shield volcanoes have depressions because the magma chamber empties. [8] With the exclusion of flood basalts, mature shields are the largest volcanic features on Earth. In Iceland, for example, there are numerous shield volcanoes clustered in two regions of the island. A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. [26], Cerro Azul is a shield volcano on the southwestern part of Isabela Island and is one of the most active in the Galapagos, with the last eruption between May and June 2008. Although shield volcanoes are not usually associated with subduction, they can occur over subduction zones. This platform creates a shallow water depth of 360 to 900 m (1,181 to 2,953 ft) at the base of the islands, which stretch over a 174 mi (280 km) diameter. Hot spots › Mt Pelee. They are home to a number of shield volcanoes. Then you can move onto examples of gravity. [28] Lava tubes can account for a large portion of shield volcano activity; for example, an estimated 58% of the lava forming Kīlauea comes from lava tubes. The islands themselves were created by volcanic activity and there are currently two active shield volcanoes— Kilauea and Mauna Loa— located on the island of Hawai'i. [27] Lava tubes are cave-like volcanic straights formed by the hardening of overlaying lava. [38], The Galápagos islands are geologically young for such a big chain, and the pattern of their rift zones follows one of two trends, one north-northwest, and one east–west. The main shield then forms, burying the smaller ones formed by the early eruptions with its lava. [13], The Galápagos Islands are an isolated set of volcanoes, consisting of shield volcanoes and lava plateaus, about 1,100 km (680 mi) west of Ecuador. The volcano is a minor satellite cone on the flanks of the massive shield volcano of Nyamuragira. A shield volcano has a broad shape due to having been formed by multiple lava flows. Next, investigate some examples of organic compounds. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava erupted from a stratovolcano. These explosive eruptions are drastically different from the usual shield volcanic activity[12] and are especially prevalent at the waterbound volcanoes of the Hawaiian Isles. Officially part of Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands are located in the South Pacific. Shield volcanoes are the common product of hotspot volcanism but they can also be found along subduction-related volcanic arcs or all by themselves. There are a number of shield volcanoes in Africa, with the majority located in Ethiopia and Kenya. Magma chamber that is located at the base of the volcano and is the reservoir of the magma that flows out during eruptions. [13][8] The mass of the volcano is so great that it has slumped the crust beneath it a further 8 km (5 mi). [7][8] Although the term is generally applied to basaltic shields, it has also at times been applied to rarer scutiform volcanoes of differing magmatic composition—principally pyroclastic shields, formed by the accumulation of fragmental material from particularly powerful explosive eruptions, and rarer felsic lava shields formed by unusually fluid felsic magmas. This type of volcano is broad with sloped sides. [47] Although the majority of these are long extinct it has been suggested, from observations by the Venus Express spacecraft, that many may still be active. [11] Shield volcanoes are similar in origin to vast lava plateaus and flood basalts present in various parts of the world. [8][36], In East Africa, volcanic activity is generated by the development of the East African Rift and from nearby hotspots. [33][34][35] The Galápagos Islands are perched on a large lava plateau known as the Galápagos Platform. The two types of volcano form in different places and have very different characteristics. Because there are multiple flow points for the lava, a gently sloping surface is created. The principal difference between the volcanoes of Mars and those on Earth is in terms of size; Martian volcanoes range in size up to 14 mi (23 km) high and 370 mi (595 km) in diameter, far larger than the 6 mi (10 km) high, 74 mi (119 km) wide Hawaiian shields. Increasing viscosity on the part of the lava or shear stress on the part of local topography can morph a pāhoehoe flow into an ʻaʻā one, but the reverse never occurs. Interesting Shield Volcano Facts: Many of the shield volcanoes on earth are located in Hawaii, including Hawaii's volcano Mauna Loa which is considered to be the second largest volcano on earth, next to Tamu Massif in the Pacific Ocean. Many examples are found in California and Oregon, including Prospect Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park, as well as Pelican Butte and Belknap Crater in Oregon. There are hundreds of volcanoes on the peninsula, though fewer than 30 are currently active. The particles from lava fountains usually cool in the air before hitting the ground, resulting in the accumulation of cindery scoria fragments; however, when the air is especially thick with pyroclasts, they cannot cool off fast enough because of the surrounding heat, and hit the ground still hot, accumulating into spatter cones. [36] Since Charles Darwin's visit to the islands in 1835 during the second voyage of HMS Beagle, there have been over 60 recorded eruptions in the islands, from six different shield volcanoes. Hawaiian eruptions are often extremely long-lived; Puʻu ʻŌʻō, a cinder cone of Kīlauea, erupted continuously from January 3, 1983, until April 2018. As you can see, there are many shield volcanoes, and they are everywhere. Shield volcanoes quietly produce broad, massive structures through lava flows. Central and South America are home to a few shield volcanoes. It is considered to be on Eurasia. Shield volcanoes are found wherever fluid low-silica lava reaches the surface of the Earth. There are two main types of volcano - composite and shield. A shield volcano is the largest kind of volcano that erupts a thin, low-viscosity, basaltic lava gently and over a large area. In the Galápagos Islands, several but not all of the islands have been formed by shield volcano eruptions. Reunion Islands' Piton de la Fournaise generally erupts one time per year (on average). , are constructed of oceanic shield volcano location basalt most shield volcanoes are similar in origin to vast lava plateaus and basalts... 1 ] they include the largest shield volcano on Venus, in the steady accumulation of broad of. 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