the shield-stage lavas that built the enormous main mass of the volcano are tholeiitic basalts, like those of mauna loa, created through the mixing of primary magma and subducted oceanic crust. they are covered by the oldest exposed rock strata on mauna kea, the post-shield alkali basalts of the "hāmākua volcanics", which erupted between 250,000 and 70–65,000 years ago. the most recent volcanic flows are hawaiites and mugearites: they are the post-shield "laupāhoehoe volcanics", erupted between 65,000 and 4,000 years ago. these changes in lava composition accompanied the slow reduction of the supply of magma to the summit, which led to weaker eruptions that then gave way to isolated episodes associated with volcanic dormancy. the laupāhoehoe lavas are more viscous and contain more volatiles than the earlier tholeiitic basalts; their thicker flows significantly steepened mauna kea's flanks. in addition, explosive eruptions have built cinder cones near the summit. these cones are the most recent eruptive centers of mauna kea. its present summit is dominated by lava domes and cinder cones up to in diameter and hundreds of meters tall.