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 ...

They're also called composite volcanoes. ... 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.

Volcanoes are grouped into four types: cinder cones, composite volcanoes, shield volcanoes and lava volcanoes.

Shield volcanoes are typically very large, ... In contrast, composite volcanoes (also called stratovolcanoes) such as Nyiragongo, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ...

A shield volcano is large and flat and composed almost entirely of lava flow; it is said to resemble a battle shield in shape. ... Hekla is a stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano.

Composite volcanoes are the most common type of volcano. ... Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, is an example of a composite volcano. Shield volcanoes do not have such violent eruptions.

For instance, a stratovolcano (or composite volcano) is a steep symmetrical cone built of lava flows, ... A shield volcano is large and flat and composed almost entirely of the lava flow.

A volcano is an opening in the Earth's crust that allows lava and other volcanic matter to escape. There are six different types of volcanoes. Cinder cone, shield, composite, caldera, lava dome ...

Cone volcanoes are also known as stratovolcanoes or composite volcanoes. They are one of the three main volcano types, along with shield and dome.

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.

Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has eight shield volcanoes including Mount Wrangell. Volcanoes like Mount St. Helens are called composite or stratovolcanoes.