Geophysical evidence indicates that the full height of Mauna Loa above its base is an astounding 19 kilometers, more than twice the height of Mount Everest above sea level.
The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are the largest mountains on Earth. Mauna Kea Volcano rises 13,796 feet (4,205 meters) above sea level but extends about 19,700 feet (6,000 meters) below sea level to meet the deep ocean floor.
The top 3 biggest volcanoes are Tamu Massif (Pacific Ocean), Mauna Loa (Hawaii), and Ojos del Salado (Chile).
The largest of the volcanoes in the Tharsis Montes region, as well as all known volcanoes in the solar system, is Olympus Mons. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano 624 km (374 mi) in diameter (approximately the same size as the state of Arizona), 25 km (16 mi) high, and is rimmed by a 6 km (4 mi) high scarp.
Volcano Watch — Mauna Loa is still the largest ACTIVE volcano on Earth. Despite reports to the contrary, Mauna Loa is still the largest ACTIVE volcano on Earth.
(Note: Mount Everest is not a volcano.)
The most violent eruption registered in history was that in the La Garita Caldera in the United States. It occurred 2.1 million years ago and formed a 35 x 75 km crater, drastically changing the climate on Earth.
The temperature of the lava in the tubes is about 1,250 degrees Celsius (2,200 degrees Fahrenheit).
Mauna Loa has probably been erupting for at least 700,000 years, and may have emerged above sea level about 400,000 years ago. The oldest-known dated rocks are not older than 200,000 years.
Olympus Mons rises three times higher than Earth's highest mountain, Mount Everest, whose peak is 5.5 miles (8.8 km) above sea level. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano.
Theoretically, the maximum achievable column height is thought to be about 55 km (34 mi). In practice, column heights ranging from about 2–45 km (1.2–28.0 mi) are seen. Eruption columns with heights of over 20–40 km (12–25 mi) break through the tropopause and inject particulates into the stratosphere.
To put it simply, a diamond cannot melt in lava, because the melting point of a diamond is around 4500 °C (at a pressure of 100 kilobars) and lava can only be as hot as about 1200 °C.
Other examples of metals and ceramics that can withstand lava's temperature include; titanium, iridium, iron alloys, osmium, nickel alloys, aluminum oxide, mullite, and silicon nitride.
Most lava is very hot—about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. At those temperatures, a human would probably burst into flames and either get extremely serious burns or die.
If the Yellowstone supervolcano ever erupted, it would bring about a calamity for most of the United States. The supervolcano would spew deadly ash for thousands of miles across the entire country.
The oldest known lava flows that are still in existence are from a volcano near Inukjuak, Canada. These flows date back about 3.825 billion years. The oldest recorded volcanic eruption is believed to be in a cave drawing in Chauvet, France, which may be as much as 40,000 years old.
There are about 20 known supervolcanoes on Earth - including Lake Toba in Indonesia, Lake Taupo in New Zealand, and the somewhat smaller Phlegraean Fields near Naples, Italy. Super-eruptions occur rarely - only once every 100,000 years on average.
Lava won't kill you if it briefly touches you. You would get a nasty burn, but unless you fell in and couldn't get out, you wouldn't die.
The Tibetan name is Chomolungma, which means “Mother Goddess of the World.” The Nepali name is Sagarmatha, which has various meanings.
Gelje Sherpa was on his way to the top of the world's highest mountain when he spotted the climber clinging to the rope. They were in the “death zone,” an area near the summit of Mount Everest where temperatures are extremely low and where there isn't enough oxygen to breathe unaided for more than a few minutes.
One survivor who we have a record of was Cornelius Fuscus, who later died in a military campaign. In an inscription following his name, it states that he was from the colony of Pompeii, then he lived in Naples and then he joined the army.