GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Shield volcanoes are usually basalt but can be constructed of mostly andesitic lava flows. Mauna Loa and Kīlauea erupt almost exclusively basaltic lavas.

Detailed explanation-2: -Most shield volcanoes are formed from fluid, basaltic lava flows. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are shield volcanoes. They are the world’s largest active volcanoes, rising over 9 km above the sea floor around the island of Hawai’i.

Detailed explanation-3: -Shield volcanoes are almost exclusively basalt, a type of lava that is very fluid when erupted.

Detailed explanation-4: -Shield volcanoes are almost exclusively basalt, a type of lava that is very fluid when erupted. For this reason these volcanoes are not steep (you can’t pile up a fluid that easily runs downhill).

Detailed explanation-5: -When mafic lava cools on the earth’s surface, it forms basalt, which is why mafic lava is commonly called ‘basaltic lava. ‘