Shield Volcano
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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A shield volcano looks like a soldier's shield, and that is how it got its name. It's slopes are made by liquid basalt lava that pushes up from a vent under the ground. Shield volcanoes do not have sharp steep slopes. They are the largest volcanoes on Earth.
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Text Citations
1. USGS - http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Products/Pglossary/ShieldVolcano.html , Last visited on 3-31-03