What is the range of shield volcano height?
Shield Volcanoes This type of volcano can be hundreds of miles across and 10,000 feet high. A shield volcano is characterized by gentle upper slopes (about 5 degrees) with somewhat steeper lower slopes (about 10 degrees).
Are shield volcanoes Tall or short?
5.3. 1 Shield volcanoes. Shield volcanoes are exactly what the nomenclature implies – very large, broad, shield-like structures that have a low aspect ratio (i.e., much wider than they are tall). These volcanoes form when a centralized vent produces low-viscosity flows over a long period of time (Walker, 2000: 284).
What is the average height and slope of a shield volcano?
The median shield volcano has a height of 340 m, a basal diameter of 4100 m, an average slope angle of 9.4°, and a volume of 1.7 km3.
Are shield volcanoes tall and steep?
Shield volcanoes get their name from their shape. Although shield volcanoes are not steep, they may be very large. Shield volcanoes are common at spreading centers or intraplate hot spots (Figure below).
What is the size of a shield volcano?
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, 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 …
Which causes a shield volcano to have an enormous height?
Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows of low viscosity – lava that flows easily. Consequently, a volcanic mountain having a broad profile is built up over time by flow after flow of relatively fluid basaltic lava issuing from vents or fissures on the surface of the volcano.
Do shield volcanoes have high or low viscosity?
How big is a shield?
Round shields seem to have varied in size from around 45 – 120cm (18″ – 48″) in diameter but the smaller and more manageable 75 – 90cm (30″ – 36″) is by far the most common.
How big is a large shield?
These shields are mostly between 100 and 600 km across, with heights between about 0.3 and 5.0 km. The largest shields, however, are over 700 km in diameter and up to 5.5 km in height. For reference, Mauna Loa is ~120 km across at its base, and it has a total height of ~8 km (from the sea floor).
Why is Kilauea a shield volcano?
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.