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A stratovolcano (also composite cone or composite volcano) is a tall, conical mountain ( volcano) composed of both hardened lava and volcanic ash. The shape of these volcanoes is characteristically steep in profile because lava flows that formed them were highly viscous, and so cooled and hardened before spreading very far. Such lava tends to be high in silica. At the other end of the spectrum are shield volcanoes (such as Mauna Loa in Hawai'i), which are formed from less viscous lavas, giving them a wide base and more gently sloping profile.

Because all volcanoes of any size have a stratified (layered) structure—that is, are built up from sequential outpourings of eruptive materials—volcanologists prefer to use the term stratovolcano for these mountains.

Mount St. Helens-a stratovolcano-the day before the May 18, 1980, eruption that removed much of the top of the mountain

Examples of stratovolcanoes are:

• Kollóttadyngja in North-East Iceland
• Mayon Volcano in the Philippines
• Mount Erebus in Antarctica
• Mt. Fuji in Japan
• Mount Rainier in the northwestern United States
• Mount RuapehuMount Ruapehu or just Ruapehu is an active stratovolcano, situated at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. It is the highest point on the North Island of New Zealand. Ruapehu contains three major peaks: Tahurangi (2,797m), Te Heuheu (2,755m) and P in New Zealand's North Island
• Mount ShastaMount Shasta a 14,179 ft (4,322 m) stratovolcano, is the second highest peak in the Cascade Range and the second highest point in California (after Mount Whitney). The mountain stands 10,000 ft (3,000 m) above the surrounding area and has an estimated vol in northern California
• Mount St. HelensMount St. Helens is an active volcano in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located 96 miles south of Seattle and 53 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. The mountain is part of the Cascade Range and w in southern Washington state
• Mount TaranakiMount Taranaki (formerly called Mount Egmont is a dormant stratovolcano located in the west of New Zealand's North Island. The 2518 metre high mountain is reasonably close to a perfect ash cone in shape. There is a secondary cone, Fantham's Peak, on the s (formerly Mount Egmont) in New Zealand's North Island
• SkjaldbreiðurSkjaldbreidur literally meaning the "Broad Shield", is an Icelandic strato-volcano formed in a huge and protracted eruption roughly 9,000 years ago. The extensive lava fields which were produced by this eruption, flowed southwards, and formed the basin of in South-west Iceland
• Soufriere Hills volcanoThe Soufriere Hills volcano is a stratovolcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. It became active in 1995, and has been active ever since. Its eruptions have rendered most of the island uninhabitable. It is 915 meters above sea level. The first erupt on the Caribbean island of Montserrat
• TeideTeide (Mount Teide or Pico de Teide is a volcano and mountain on Tenerife, Canary Islands (28. At 3717 m above sea level and approximately 7000m above the adjacent sea bed, it is the highest mountain in Spain, and the third largest volcano on Earth. It is on Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
• TrölladyngjaSituated in the Odadahraun lava-field, Trolladyngja is the biggest of the Icelandic strato-volcanoes, reaching a height of 1,468 meters above sea-level, and rising almost 600 meters above the surrounding desert and lava-fields. It's about 10 kilometers in in North-East Iceland
• Vesuvius in Italy
• Cotopaxi in Ecuador