Mauna Kea, Summit road, Hawaii

Mauna Kea (lit. *White Mountain*), considered dormant, is a shield volcano approx 1 million years old and is Hawaii's highest peak at 4250m (13,769ft). Much of the mountain is under the sea and when measured from its base on the Pacific Ocean floor, is 10,000m (33,000ft) high, significantly higher than Mt. Everest. The summit of Mauna Kea once supported a small alpine glacier that has since disappeared. The shield-building lavas of Mauna Kea are now largely buried under cinder cones and ash deposits, the product of explosive eruptions that ceased approx. 3600 years ago. The peak is always snow-capped in winter, sometimes to a snow-depth of several metres. This image shows the unpaved section of Summit Road, carved out of the black lavas of Mauna Kea above the cloud and tree-level beyond 9000ft, and several of the many cinder cones that appear as one climbs to the summit.