GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -These results show that Pūhāhonu is the largest shield volcano on Earth. It is twice the size of Mauna Loa volcano (148 ± 29 vs. ), which was assumed to be not only the largest Hawaiian volcano but also the largest known shield volcano on Earth.

Detailed explanation-2: -Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park contains parts of Mauna Loa and Kīlauea, two of the most active shield volcanoes on Earth. Although these volcanoes are adjacent to one another, they have separate magma systems and are thus independent of one another. Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on the planet.

Detailed explanation-3: -Shield volcanoes are the largest volcanoes on Earth that actually look like volcanoes (i.e. not counting flood basalt flows). The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are the most famous examples. Shield volcanoes are almost exclusively basalt, a type of lava that is very fluid when erupted.

Detailed explanation-4: -Mauna Loa volcano, largest in the world, erupts in Hawaii.

Detailed explanation-5: -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). Thus, the large Venusian shields are broader, but much flatter then the largest shield volcanoes on Earth.