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what is the difference between cone volcanoes and shield volcanoes
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#2
Type of lava that is released, gradient of slopes due to the type (shield volcanoes are more shallow and wider) and I believe layers of cone volcanoes were made of ash and cooled down lava (alternating layers).
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#3
The obvious difference is the shape.
Cone volcanos are shaped like a tall, cone-like structure. Think of a picture a child would draw if you told them to draw a volcano.
Shield volcanos are much flatter.
Another difference is lava-type.
Cone volcanos have very viscous lava, which means it runs down the volcano's slope very fast and doesn't have much time to settle and cool, hence the cone shape.
In contrast, the shield volcano erupts very gloopy lava, which doesn't move fast, and so when it cools, the volcano gets a much shallower slope.
Also, the erupt differently. (In general)
Cone volcanos tend to erupt very infrequently (every few 100 years or so, some cases are much more frequent, such as Mount Etna in Italy, which seems to strangely erupt every year or so), and their eruptions are much more explosive and destructive (see the eruption of Mount Pinatubo or Mount St. Helen's).
Shield volcanos pretty much are expelling lava 24/7
Example volcanos:
Shield -> mauna loa
Cone volcanos are shaped like a tall, cone-like structure. Think of a picture a child would draw if you told them to draw a volcano.
Shield volcanos are much flatter.
Another difference is lava-type.
Cone volcanos have very viscous lava, which means it runs down the volcano's slope very fast and doesn't have much time to settle and cool, hence the cone shape.
In contrast, the shield volcano erupts very gloopy lava, which doesn't move fast, and so when it cools, the volcano gets a much shallower slope.
Also, the erupt differently. (In general)
Cone volcanos tend to erupt very infrequently (every few 100 years or so, some cases are much more frequent, such as Mount Etna in Italy, which seems to strangely erupt every year or so), and their eruptions are much more explosive and destructive (see the eruption of Mount Pinatubo or Mount St. Helen's).
Shield volcanos pretty much are expelling lava 24/7
Example volcanos:
Shield -> mauna loa
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#4
(Original post by Hopson97)
The obvious difference is the shape.
Cone volcanos are shaped like a tall, cone-like structure. Think of a picture a child would draw if you told them to draw a volcano.
Shield volcanos are much flatter.
Another difference is lava-type.
Cone volcanos have very viscous lava, which means it runs down the volcano's slope very fast and doesn't have much time to settle and cool, hence the cone shape.
In contrast, the shield volcano erupts very gloopy lava, which doesn't move fast, and so when it cools, the volcano gets a much shallower slope.
Also, the erupt differently. (In general)
Cone volcanos tend to erupt very infrequently (every few 100 years or so, some cases are much more frequent, such as Mount Etna in Italy, which seems to strangely erupt every year or so), and their eruptions are much more explosive and destructive (see the eruption of Mount Pinatubo or Mount St. Helen's).
Shield volcanos pretty much are expelling lava 24/7
Example volcanos:
Shield -> mauna loa
The obvious difference is the shape.
Cone volcanos are shaped like a tall, cone-like structure. Think of a picture a child would draw if you told them to draw a volcano.
Shield volcanos are much flatter.
Another difference is lava-type.
Cone volcanos have very viscous lava, which means it runs down the volcano's slope very fast and doesn't have much time to settle and cool, hence the cone shape.
In contrast, the shield volcano erupts very gloopy lava, which doesn't move fast, and so when it cools, the volcano gets a much shallower slope.
Also, the erupt differently. (In general)
Cone volcanos tend to erupt very infrequently (every few 100 years or so, some cases are much more frequent, such as Mount Etna in Italy, which seems to strangely erupt every year or so), and their eruptions are much more explosive and destructive (see the eruption of Mount Pinatubo or Mount St. Helen's).
Shield volcanos pretty much are expelling lava 24/7
Example volcanos:
Shield -> mauna loa
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