shield volcano
nounDefinition of shield volcano
: a broad rounded volcano that is built up by successive outpourings of very fluid lava — see volcano illustration
Examples of shield volcano in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That means Tamu Massif isn’t really a shield volcano. — Robin George Andrews, National Geographic, "This is now the world's largest volcano, geologists say," 15 July 2019 The two volcanoes are also different shapes: Kilauea is a gently sloping shield volcano, unlike Mount St. Helens, which is a steep-sided stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano. — Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, "Could Hawaii volcano explosion rival Mount St. Helens? Probably not.," 17 May 2018 Kilauea is a shield volcano, built of lava spreading out in all directions from a central vent. — Robert Krier, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Kilauea eruption not expected to affect regions beyond Hawaii," 17 May 2018 Like many other Hawaiian volcanoes, Kilauea is a shield volcano that emits fluid basalt lava and is defined by its broad dome shape, rather than a steep peak, like Washington’s Mount St. Helens. — Lyndsey Matthews, Popular Mechanics, "The Wild 35-Year History of Hawaii's Constantly Erupting Volcano," 16 May 2018 The molten rock spewing from 19 fissures on the side of the shield volcano has already destroyed more than two dozen homes. — Eva Botkin-kowacki, The Christian Science Monitor, "Life on a volcano: Hawaiians face Kilauea eruption with reverence," 15 May 2018 Unlike many of the steep-sided volcanoes along the edge of the Pacific Rim, Kilauea is a shield volcano with long, gradually sloping sides. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is squirting lava and toxic gas through new cracks in the Earth," 6 May 2018 Kilauea is a shield volcano with lava that is relatively fluid, so when trapped gas expands and bursts, the resulting eruptions are typically not as deadly. — Denise Chow /, NBC News, "Guatemala's deadly volcano eruption: What is the 'Ring of Fire'?," 5 June 2018 What is happening at Kilauea looks a lot like the wreckage left by Newberry Volcano, a shield volcano near Bend, Oregon, that last erupted in the year 690. — Author: Scott Wilson, Sarah Kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, "As Kilauea erupts, volcanologists swarm: ‘I expect great science from this event’," 24 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shield volcano.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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