what does the lava in shield volcanoes contain
One of the two most important types of volcanoes, shield volcanoes are large and broad and have relatively gentle slopes. Kilauea on the island of Hawaii is good example of a shield volcano. Eruptions on shield volcanoes are far less explosive than those on composite volcanoes.That is because the basalt lava that erupts from shield volcanoes contains less silica, SiO 2, and is therefore less sticky (less viscous) and doesn't plug up the volcano.his is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from stratovolcanoes. This results in the steady accumulation of broad sheets of lava, building up the shield volcano's distinctive form. Shield volcanoes contain low-viscosity magma, which gives them flowing mafic lava.