Click on the image above to see a 3-D movie of the Hawaiian Islands .

Hawaii is a chain of volcanoes that rise from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. There are five volcanoes visible in this photograph. The two large ones are Mauna Kea (left) and Mauna Loa (right). On the right-hand flank of Mauna Loa is Hualalai, and in front of Mauna Kea is Kohala. These four mountains are all on the Big Island of Hawaii. The black slope in the foreground is Haleakala volcano, on the island of Maui, and the vantage point from which this photo was taken.

Notice that the shape of these volcanoes is not what you might think of when you imagine a "typical" volcano. The Hawaiian volcanoes are all very broad with gently sloping sides. These are referred to as Shield Volcanoes. They are very large in comparison with other volcanoes; the summit of Mauna Kea is 4205 meters (13,796 feet) above sea level, and its base is another 5000 meters below sea level.

 

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