Olympus Mons: The tallest mountain in the solar system!
Imagine a mountain that’s so tall that it dwarfs the towering Mount Everest. Does such a mountain even exist? You may be surprised to know that it absolutely does! However, you won’t find this mountain anywhere on Earth. Its abode is the red planet, Mars. It’s called Olympus Mons and the distance between its highest point and Mars’ surface exceeds 16 miles. Comparatively, Mount Everest rises only 5.5 miles above sea level.
Regarded as the tallest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons is also the largest volcano. It’s so colossal that if you stand on its peak, you won’t even be able to sense its presence. That’s because Mars’ curvature obscures the mountain’s slope. Isn’t that simply mind-blowing!?
Let’s further explore this cosmic geographical structure!
Olympus Mons: Characteristics
Olympus Mons is found near the equator of Mars, near the Tharsis Montes region. It stretches across hundreds of miles and is surrounded by several volcanic peaks. Here’s another jaw-dropping titbit about it—if you compare it to Earth’s tallest volcano, Mauna Loa, you’ll find that its volume is about a hundred times more!
As for its volcanic nature, it’s essentially a shield volcano. What’s that, you ask? Well, instead of violently erupting molten lava from the top, lava from a shield volcano gradually flows down the sides. So, being a shield volcano, Olympus Mons has a low, squat-like appearance rather than a conical shape.
Coming to its age, Olympus Mons is still a young, active volcano, even though it formed billions of years ago. Don’t be shocked! In the solar system, a few billion years don’t count for much; they’re a mere trifle! And beware of this young one. It has the potential to erupt at any moment.
What’s next? It’s formation, of course! As it turns out, six collapsed craters from the surrounding areas known as ‘caldera’ stacked on top of one another. Over the years, this created a deep depression, about 53 miles wide. Soon, during infinite rounds of eruptions, magma chambers beneath the calderas ejected lava. Unable to support the weight any longer, the chambers collapsed, creating a volcanic mountain. As for the cliff, also known as escarpment, it was formed later. It surrounded the edges of the volcano and rose to a height of 6 miles above sea level.
Here’s another bonus fun fact about Olympus Mons—it’s home to frozen rock glaciers or rock debris.
Why was such a massive volcano formed on Mars, and not Earth?
Well, this is an interesting question, isn’t it? Mars’ lower surface gravity, coupled with high eruption rates, are two major reasons why lava on the red planet piles so high, forming giant volcanoes. Moreover, compared to Earth, Mars has limited tectonic plate movement. As a result, both the hot spots of lava as well the crust underneath remain static. The result? Lava easily flows to the surface and builds up steadily in a single location. This, in turn, creates huge volcanoes, such as Olympus Mons instead of a chain of volcanic islands.