April 29, 2024

Mars’ Olympus Mons – the Largest Volcano in the Solar System – May Have Once Been an Island

Comparable features on the northern flank of the Alba Mons volcano, located more than 1,500 km (900 miles) from Olympus Mons, likewise support the idea that a large ocean of liquid water as soon as inhabited the Red Planets northern lowlands. Precise dating of these volcanic rocks might provide a significant amount of info about the climatic development of Mars.
Olympus Mons: a volcanic island in the middle of a vanished Martian ocean. Credit: A.Hildenbrand/ Geops/CNRS (Image produced from MOLA public information).
Olympus Mons is a big shield volcano on the world Mars. Standing at an impressive height of about 13.6 miles (22 kilometers), Olympus Mons is almost three times the height of Mount Everest, which is the tallest mountain on Earth.
The term “shield volcano” is used to explain a type of volcano that has shallow, broad slopes created by the eruption of low-viscosity lava that can stream a fantastic distance before solidifying and cooling. The volcano gets its name from its size and shape, which looks like a warriors shield.
The caldera (top crater of the volcano) of Olympus Mons has to do with 50 miles (80 kilometers) large and is comprised of six overlapping craters or pits developed by different volcanic events. These events took place when magma chambers below the surface area cleared out and the ground above them collapsed.
Olympus Mons lies in the Tharsis Montes area of Mars, which is home to several other large volcanoes. Its age is estimated to be about 200 million years, and evidence from various Mars missions recommends that lava flowed from the volcano in the fairly current past, geologically speaking– about 2 million years back.
Recommendation: “A giant volcanic island in an early Martian Ocean?” by A. Hildenbrand, H. Zeyen, F. Schmidt, S. Bouley, F. Costard, P.Y. Gillot, F.O. Marques, X. Quidelleur, 24 July 202, Earth and Planetary Science Letters.DOI: 10.1016/ j.epsl.2023.118302.

New research recommends that the gigantic Olympus Mons volcano on Mars has morphological qualities comparable to lots of active volcanic islands on Earth, likely due to the interaction in between lava and liquid water. (A computer-generated view of Olympus Mons.) Credit: Dreksler Astral/ Lowell Observatory
Research exposes that the Olympus Mons and Alba Mons volcanoes on Mars exhibit features similar to Earths active volcanic islands, most likely indicating previous interaction between lava and liquid water. This supports the hypothesis that a large ocean might have when existed in Mars northern lowlands. Studying these volcanic rocks could supply insights into Mars weather advancement.
Think of a volcanic island about the size of France and over 20,000 meters (65,000 feet) high. Such a landscape may as soon as have actually existed on the planet Mars.
Published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters on July 24, current work led by a CNRS scientist shows that the huge Olympus Mons volcano on Mars shares morphological similarities with many active volcanic islands on Earth. Scientists believe they are the result of contact in between liquid water and lava from the volcano.

New research recommends that the colossal Olympus Mons volcano on Mars has morphological qualities comparable to numerous active volcanic islands on Earth, likely due to the interaction in between lava and liquid water. Research reveals that the Olympus Mons and Alba Mons volcanoes on Mars show features similar to Earths active volcanic islands, likely suggesting past interaction in between lava and liquid water. Olympus Mons is a large shield volcano on the planet Mars. Standing at a remarkable height of about 13.6 miles (22 kilometers), Olympus Mons is almost three times the height of Mount Everest, which is the highest mountain on Earth.