Cinder Cone 🆚 Shield Volcano 🌋

Comparison of Cinder Cone and Shield Volcanoes

Feature	Cinder Cone Volcano	Shield Volcano
Shape	Small, cone-shaped hill with steep sides (30-40 degrees) and a bowl-shaped crater at the summit.	Broad, gently sloping volcano with a wide base, resembling a warrior's shield lying flat. The slopes are typically 2-10 degrees.
Size	Relatively small, usually less than 1,000 feet (300 meters) high and often much smaller.	Can be very large, both in height and width, forming massive mountains that can be tens to hundreds of kilometers across. They are the largest type of volcano on Earth in terms of volume.
Formation	Formed from explosive eruptions of gas-rich, usually basaltic or andesitic lava. Ejected pyroclastic materials (cinders, ash, volcanic bombs) accumulate around the vent. Usually formed during a single, short eruptive episode.	Formed by the accumulation of many fluid (low viscosity) basaltic lava flows over long periods. The runny lava flows far from the vent, creating the broad, gentle slopes. Built by repeated eruptions over vast amounts of time (up to a million years or longer).
Eruption Style	Typically explosive, producing pyroclastic material. May have some lava flows, usually from the base or flanks later in the eruption. Generally less violent than stratovolcanoes but more explosive than typical shield volcano eruptions.	Primarily effusive (non-explosive) eruptions of fluid lava flows. Explosions can occur if water enters the vent, but are less common. Characterized by relatively gentle lava fountaining and flows.
Magma Type	Usually basaltic or andesitic, often gas-rich.	Primarily basaltic lava, which has low viscosity (runny) and low silica content.
Composition	Composed mainly of loose pyroclastic material (cinders, scoria, ash).	Primarily composed of solidified basaltic lava flows.
Vent	Single, central vent at the summit.	Can have a central vent or a series of vents and fissures (cracks) on the flanks. May have summit calderas (large depressions).
Occurrence	Often found in volcanic fields, as parasitic cones on larger volcanoes, or along fissures.	Commonly found at hotspots (e.g., Hawaii) and divergent plate boundaries (e.g., Iceland).
Examples	Parícutin (Mexico), Sunset Crater (USA), Cerro Negro (Nicaragua).	Mauna Loa and Kilauea (Hawaii), Olympus Mons (Mars).