Earth is house to gorgeous snow-capped mountains that tower over their surrounding landscapes, however none fairly compares to Mars’ Olympus Mons. First photographed intimately by NASA’s Mariner 9 probe in 1971, Olympus Mons (Latin for “Mount Olympus”) is practically 16 miles tall. For comparability, its most well-known earthly competitor — Mount Everest — is just about5.5 miles above sea stage. The width of Olympus Mons is simply as spectacular as its peak: Stretching 374 miles throughout, it’s as huge as the whole state of Arizona. Olympus Mons is what’s generally known as a protect volcano, a sort shaped as lava slowly spreads out and cools; these volcanoes normally have a low profile and are named for his or her resemblance to a warrior’s protect.
So how did Olympus Mons get so huge? Scientists assume a mix of low floor gravity and excessive volcanic exercise allowed Mars’ nice protect volcano to develop — over billions of years — past something seen on Earth. And in contrast to on Earth, the place volcanoes kind as tectonic plates drift over scorching spots of lava, Mars’ plate motion is way more restricted, that means magma can construct and construct in a single spot over a very long time. So whereas summiting peaks like Everest and K2 stays a powerful terrestrial feat, the photo voltaic system’s largest climbing problem awaits on the crimson planet.
