How dangerous are eruptions at shield volcanoes?

The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are the most famous examples. Shield volcanoes are almost exclusively basalt, a type of lava that is very fluid when erupted. For this reason these volcanoes are not steep (you can't pile up a fluid that easily runs downhill). read more

With the energy of 1,000 atom bombs a volcanic eruption can wreak destruction for miles around, set off tsunamis and crush towns with walls of rock. Here we consider the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet. read more

In view of the hazards it poses to population centers, Mauna Loa is part of the Decade Volcanoes program, which encourages studies of the most dangerous volcanoes. Mauna Loa is the world’s largest shield volcano in terms of area covered. read more

On the other extreme, Plinian eruptions are large, violent, and highly dangerous explosive events. Volcanoes are not bound to one eruptive style, and frequently display many different types, both passive and explosive, even in the span of a single eruptive cycle. Volcanoes do not always erupt vertically from a single crater near their peak, either. read more

Merapi is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Indonesia due to its frequent eruptions and densely populated slopes. With a death toll of nearly 400 people, its 2010 eruption is so far the deadliest of the 21st century. read more

Volcanoes can be dangerous, but certain volcanoes pose the most danger to the people living in and around them. Let's count them down. Volcanoes can be dangerous, but certain volcanoes pose the most danger to the people living in and around them. read more

Shield volcanoes are the largest volcanoes on Earth that actually look like volcanoes (i.e. not counting flood basalt flows). The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are the most famous examples. Shield volcanoes are almost exclusively basalt, a type of lava that is very fluid when erupted. read more