There are three types of volcanoes
Shield Volcanoes, Cinder Cone volcanoes, and Composite Volcanoes
Shield Volcanoes are made mostly of fluid lava flows. Flow after flow pours from a central summit vent. It builds up and turns into what looks like a warriors shield. Some of the largest volcanoes in the world are shield volcanoes. Some have diameters of 3-4 Miles and are 1,500 to 2,000 feet high. The Hawaiian islands are composed of chains of shield volcanoes.
Some of the world's biggest mountains are Composite volcanoes. Some people call composite volcanoes stratovolcanoes. Some of the most beautiful mountains are composite volcanoes such as Mount Fuji, Mount Cotopaxi, Mount Shasta, Mount Hood, Mount Rainer and Mount St. Helens. Most composite volcanoes have a crater at the top with a central vent or a group of vents where lava comes out.
Cinder Cone Volcanoes
Cinder cones are the simplest kind of volcanoes. Cinder cone volcanoes have a bowl shaped crater and barely ever rise over one thousand feet. When cinder cone volcanoes erupt lava blows furiously into the air and breaks up into small pieces called cinders. There are many cinder cone volcanoes in western North America.
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