What is the largest volcano on Earth?

The Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean is the largest volcano on the planet. In Hawaiian the name means “Long Mountain”. It makes about 51 percent of the island’s surface. From the ocean surface to the top it’s about 4,170 meters (or 13,360 ft) tall. If you measure Mauna Loa from its true base which is at the bottom of the ocean it is 17,170 m (56,000 ft) tall. Mount Everest is 8,848 m (29,029 ft).

Mauna Loa is an active shield volcano. Shield volcanoes are usually wider than they are tall. Their eruptions tend to be less violent than other types of volcanoes. Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984 and will likely erupt many more times.