There are two main types of volcano - composite and shield. The two types of volcano form in different places and have very different characteristics. Ash released from shield volcanoes often ...

The biggest shield volcano is Tamu Massif, and it sits on a seamount east of Japan, its summit 6,500 feet (1,980 m) below the ocean surface. One final type of volcanic system is the Large Igneous ...

But as a shield volcano, Kilauea doesn’t have explosive, Mt. St. Helens-type eruptions. Instead, it emits a steady stream of fluid lava that generally flows gently down the side of the mountain ...

From the gentle slopes of shield volcanoes to the towering stratovolcanoes, and the underwater peaks of submarine volcanoes, ...