Earth from Space - Image Description

STS051-102-082 Mauna Kea Volcano, Hawaii, U.S.A. September 1993
Mauna Kea Volcano [13 796 feet (4205 meters)], the highest point in the Hawaiian Islands, is featured in this near-vertical photograph. The volcano, near the northern end of the big island of Hawaii, is generally recognized to be 400 000 years old and is one of the youngest shield volcanoes in the chain of islands. Numerous small vent cinder cones are visible on the flanks of the main part of the volcano. Several dark lava flows (black pahoehoe basalt) from Mauna Loa Volcano, just south of Mauna Kea Volcano, appear at the bottom of the image. The large dark green area east of Mauna Kea appears to be undeveloped land with a greater concentration of vegetation covering the landscape.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.