Even though Hawaii has active volcanoes, shield volcanoes do not have violent eruptions, so the islands are relatively safe.
The Hawaiian islands were created exclusively by volcanoes. The main island of Hawaii alone hosts five shield volcanoes. The Kohala volcano, one of these five, is the oldest of the Hawaiian shield volcanoes.
Size
The Kohala Volcano rises approximately one mile above sea level and spans about 235 square miles, covering 5.8 percent of the island. Scientists estimate that thousands of years ago the Kohala volcano was twice this size.
Age
The Kohala has been above sea level for about 500,000 years. Its shield building stage, when it was highly active, was completed about 250,000 years ago. The Kohala has been silent for about 120,000 years.
Northern Side
Since the north side of this volcano gets more rain, its slopes have deep valleys caused by river erosion. The northeast section is made up of sea cliffs created by an ancient landslide.
Southern Side
The Kohala volcano is bordered by Mauna Kea and near Mauna Loa, two younger shield volcanoes. Lava from these volcanoes has covered the southern slopes of the Kohala.
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