The Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii, Wolf, and Nyamuragira are examples of shield volcanoes on Earth.

Shield volcanoes are one type of volcano. These volcanoes are built mainly out of lava that is very fluid. This lava flows out, cools and hardens, adding to layers of cooled and hardened lava underneath it. This process creates a gradual increase in elevation over time and creates what see see in the images below. Shield volcanoes are typically much wider than they are tall.

All volcanoes on Hawaii are actually shield volcanoes.

Mauna Loa and another volcano visible behind it:

Wolf volcano is part of the Galapagos Islands:

Nyamuragira is in the Democratic Republic of Congo:

To learn more about shield volcanoes, click here .