Table of Contents
What geologic structure does Olympus Mons look like?
shield volcano
As a shield volcano, Olympus Mons resembles the shape of the large volcanoes making up the Hawaiian Islands. The edifice is about 600 km (370 mi) wide. Because the mountain is so large, with complex structure at its edges, allocating a height to it is difficult.
What type of lava does Olympus Mons have?
basaltic lava
Broad, gradually sloping flanks and the presence of numerous long flows and lava channels identify Olympus Mons as a shield volcano and suggest that it was built up from eruptions largely of fairly fluid basaltic lava.
What is inside Olympus Mons?
The volume contained by Olympus Mons is about a hundred times that of Mauna Loa, and the Hawaiian island chain that houses the Earthly volcano could fit inside its Martian counterpart. A cliff, or escarpment, surrounds the outer edge of the volcano, reaching as high as 6 miles (10 km) above the surrounding area.
What is significant about Olympus Mons quizlet?
It is the largest volcano in the solar system. In comparison to a volcano in the U.S the volume of Olympus Mons is 100 times larger than Mauna Loa. Which is the largest shield volcano on Earth.
Why is it called Olympus Mons?
The name “Olympus Mons” means “Mt. Olympus” in Latin, but surprisingly, the name wasn’t applied directly from the Greek Mt. He named it “Nix Olympica”, meaning “Olympic snows”. When it was confirmed to be a mountain by the Mariner 9 mission, scientists renamed it to Olympus Mons.
What is the volume of Olympus Mons?
roughly 6-8 million km3
The volume of Olympus Mons is thought to be approximately the same as the entire Hawaii-Emperor Seamount Chain on Earth – or roughly 6-8 million km3.
What is the biggest crater in Mars?
List of largest craters in the Solar System
| Body | Crater | Crater diameter |
|---|---|---|
| Mars | North Polar Basin | 10,600 × 8,500 km (6,550 × 5,250 mi) |
| Utopia | 3,300 km (2,100 mi) | |
| Hellas | 2,300 km (1,400 mi) | |
| Vesta (asteroid) | Rheasilvia | 505 km (310 mi) |
What’s the largest volcano on Mars?
Olympus Mons
Olympus Mons (left) is the largest volcano in the solar system. It stands 26 kilometers (15.5 miles) above the surrounding plains, and is 500 kilometers (300 miles) wide at its base.
What are the physical features of Olympus Mons?
Centred at 19° N, 133° W, Olympus Mons consists of a central edifice 22 km (14 miles) high and 700 km (435 miles) across. Around its perimeter an outward-facing cliff ascends as high as 10 km (6 miles) above the surrounding area. At the summit is an 85-km- (53-mile-) diameter crater, or caldera, comprising several mutually intersecting…
Is Olympus Mons still an active volcano?
Olympus Mons is still a relatively young volcano. Although it has taken billions of years to form, some regions of the mountain may be only a few million years old, relatively young in the lifetime of the solar system. As such, Olympus Mons may still be an active volcano with the potential to erupt.
What type of plate boundary embays Olympus Mons?
A plains formation embays Olympus Mons to the south and east (in orange), and four members of aureole units emanate outwards from the northwestern flank of the volcano. Regional structures are acknowledged as either ridged units, or faults with differentiated offset.
How deep is the depression at the base of Olympus Mons?
A wide, annular depression or moat about 2 km (1.2 mi) deep surrounds the base of Olympus Mons and is thought to be due to the volcano’s immense weight pressing down on the Martian crust. The depth of this depression is greater on the northwest side of the mountain than on the southeast side.