Mauna Loa - Volcano

The Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the largest subaerial volcano, and is the largest active volcano on planet earth, it measures 2000 square miles. All of the volcanoes in Hawaii were created as the pacific tectonic plate moved over the hotspot in Hawaii in the earth’s mantle. The oldest known rocks on this volcano are about 200,000 years old, and the magma of the volcano flows from the Hawaii hotspot. It makes up more than 50% of the surface of Hawaii because it consists of approximately 80000 km of solid rock.  This volcano is a shield in form, it has a broad dome extending to the ocean floor and the slopes are about 12 degrees because of the extremely fluid lava. Because of the primary magma and sub ducted ocean crust the shield stage lava are tholeiitic basalts. The summit of this volcano has three overlapping pit craters, which are a depression formed by sinking or collapsing of the surface lying above a void or an empty chamber.