Olympus Mons – The Largest Volcano in The Solar System – Design You Trust

Olympus Mons – The Largest Volcano in The Solar System

Olympus Mons (latin for Mount Olympus) is a very large shield volcano on the planet Mars. The volcano has a height of over 21 km (13.6 mi or 72,000 ft) as measured by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). Olympus Mons is about two and a half times Mount Everest’s height above sea level. It is one of the largest volcanoes, the tallest planetary mountain, and the second tallest mountain currently discovered in the Solar System.

h/t: wikipedia

It is often cited as the largest volcano in the Solar System. However, by some metrics, other volcanoes are considerably larger. Alba Mons, northeast of Olympus Mons, has roughly 19 times the surface area, but is only about one third the height. Pele, the largest known volcano on Io, is also much larger, at roughly 4 times the surface area, but is considerably flatter.

Additionally, Tharsis Rise, a large volcanic structure on Mars of which Olympus Mons is a part, has been interpreted as an enormous spreading volcano. If this is confirmed, Tharsis would be by far the largest volcano in the Solar System. Olympus Mons is the youngest of the large volcanoes on Mars, having formed during Mars’s Hesperian Period. It had been known to astronomers since the late 19th century as the albedo feature Nix Olympica (Latin for “Olympic Snow”). Its mountainous nature was suspected well before space probes confirmed its identity as a mountain.

Olympus Mons is the result of many thousands of highly fluid, basaltic lava flows that poured from volcanic vents over a long period of time (the Hawaiian Islands exemplify similar shield volcanoes on a smaller scale – see Mauna Kea). Like the basalt volcanoes on Earth, Martian basaltic volcanoes are capable of erupting enormous quantities of ash. Due to the reduced gravity of Mars compared to Earth, there are lesser buoyant forces on the magma rising out of the crust. In addition, the magma chambers are thought to be much larger and deeper than the ones found on Earth.



If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Oh, Design You Trust,' our brand new Facebook page! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Photographer Jonny Joo Captures Eerie Images Of Abandoned Buildings
Nearby Train Crossing Gives Aichi’s Daibutsu The Title Of Most Stylish Great Buddha In Japan
A Junkyard Of Classic Cars Located In Rural Georgia
Real Fire Truck Converted In Authentic And Cozy Log Cabin
Thousands Ditch Snowsuits For Swimming Cozzies As They Hit The Slopes At 'BoogelWoogel' Russian Ski Festival
Here Are The 30 Best Photos That NASA’s Curiosity Has Taken After 7 Years On Mars
Fountains Of Saint Petersburg The Way They Look Now
"Dwarf Empire" in Kunming, China
Amazing Treehotels in Sweden
Sleep In A Bookshelf With 5000 Books In Kyoto’s New Bookstore-Themed Hostel
Inside The Abandoned Summer Camp In Chernobyl
Gigantic Snow Wall Along Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Japan
Historic Space Shuttle Mockup Stored in Downey, California
Navigate The Snowy Landscapes Of Mongolia With Reindeer Herding Family
Girl Shares Pics Of Street Food From Around The World On Her Instagram Account
Beautiful Photos Of Cuba In 1954 That Looks Like A Country Of Freedom
California’s Failed Utopia
Solar-powered Sustainer Homes Give You The Freedom To Live Anywhere
‘The World’s Most Remote Pop-Up Shop’ Handed Out Gear 300 Feet Up A Sheer Cliff
Scenic Aerial View Of Terraced Fields In Guizhou, A Mountainous Province In Southwest China
Australian Traveller Captures Moment He Was Photobombed By Humpback Whale
Experience The Fjords And Mountain Ranges Across Norway In A Birdbox
If The Moon Were Replaced With Some Of The Planets From Our Solar System
Stunning Color Pictures Of The Daily Life At The Rio Beaches In The Late 1970s