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The Planet with the Highest Mountain in the Solar System

KOMPAS.com – Mars is nicknamed the Red Planet because of its red surface.

The red color comes from large amounts of a chemical called iron oxide or “rust” in the rocks and soil.

Another uniqueness of the second smallest planet in the solar system is that Mars has the highest mountain in the solar system.

The highest mountain in the solar system which is in Planet Mars is Olympus Mons.

This giant mountain towers above the plains around the Planet Mars.

Also read: Super Planet Earth in Habitable Zone Red Dwarf Detected, Like What?

Characteristics of Olympus Mons

Reported from Space, Olympus Mons is in the Tharsis Montes region near the Martian equator.

Olympus Mons is one of dozens of large volcanoes, many of which are ten to a hundred times higher.

The highest mountain of them all has a height of 25 kilometers above the surrounding plains and stretches over 374 miles 624 km.

For comparison, Mount Mauna Loa, Hawaii, has a height of 10 km above the sea floor.

The volume that Olympus Mons holds is roughly a hundred times that of Mauna Loa and the Hawaiian island chain that hosts Earth’s volcanoes can fit inside its Martian counterpart.

Also read: Saturn, The Most Beautiful Planet in the Solar System

Shield volcano

Olympus Mons is a shield volcano. Instead of violently spewing molten material, shield volcanoes form from lava that slowly flows down its sides.

As a result, Olympus Mons appears low, squat, with an average slope of only 5 percent.

Olympus Mons is still a relatively young volcano. Although it has taken billions of years to form, some mountain regions may only be a few million years old.

Thus, Olympus Mons may still be an active volcano with the potential to erupt.

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