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Shield volcano
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{{Short description|Low-profile volcano usually formed almost entirely of fluid lava flows}} [[File:Mauna Loa Volcano.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|[[Mauna Loa]], a shield volcano in Hawaii]] [[File: Bronze votive shield.JPG|thumb|right|upright=0.7|An [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] warrior's [[shield]]βits circular shape and gently sloping surface, with a central raised area, is a shape shared by many shield volcanoes.]] A '''shield volcano''' is a type of [[volcano]] named for its low profile, resembling a [[shield]] lying on the ground. 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]]. Repeated eruptions result in the steady accumulation of broad sheets of lava, building up the shield volcano's distinctive form. Shield volcanoes are found wherever fluid, low-[[silica]] lava reaches the surface of a rocky planet. However, they are most characteristic of ocean [[Volcanic island|island volcanism]] associated with [[Hotspot (geology)|hot spots]] or with [[Rift|continental rift]] volcanism.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schmincke |first1=Hans-Ulrich |title=Volcanism |date=2003 |publisher=Springer |location=Berlin |isbn=9783540436508 |pages=127β128}}</ref> They include the largest active volcanoes on Earth, such as [[Mauna Loa]]. Giant shield volcanoes are found on other planets of the [[Solar System]], including [[Olympus Mons]] on [[Mars]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Plescia |first1=J. B. |title=Morphometric properties of Martian volcanoes |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |date=2004 |volume=109 |issue=E3 |pages=E03003 |doi=10.1029/2002JE002031|bibcode=2004JGRE..109.3003P |doi-access=free }}</ref> and [[Sapas Mons]] on [[Venus]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keddie |first1=Susan T. |last2=Head |first2=James W. |title=Sapas Mons, Venus: evolution of a large shield volcano |journal=Earth, Moon, and Planets |date=1994 |volume=65 |issue=2 |pages=129β190 |doi=10.1007/BF00644896|bibcode=1994EM&P...65..129K |s2cid=122532573 }}</ref>
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