Mars is only about one-half the size of Earth and yet has several volcanoes that surpass the scale of the largest terrestrial volcanoes. The most massive volcanoes are located on huge uplifts or domes in the Tharsis and Elysium regions of Mars. The Tharsis dome is 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) across and rises to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in height. Located on its northwest flank are three large shield volcanoes: Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons and Arsia Mons. Beyond the dome's northwest edge is Olympus Mons, the largest of the Tharsis volcanoes. |
![]() Sattellite image |
Olympus Mons is classified as a shield volcano. It is 24 kilometers (15 miles) high,
550 kilometers (340 miles) in diameter and is rimmed by a 6 kilometers
(4 miles) high. It is one of the
largest volcanoes in the Solar System. By comparison the largest
volcano on Earth is Mauna Loa which
is 9 kilometers (6 miles) high and 120 kilometers (75 miles) across.
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