Mount Olympus: Curiosities of the highest mountain in the Solar System

PlanetaCurioso.com – Did you know that the largest volcano is not found on Earth? That’s right, Mount Olympus is the largest known volcano in the solar system at 22 km high and 700 km wide.

In Curious Planet we have compiled these curiosities of Mount Olympus . Surely these curious facts about Martian Mount Olympus will surprise you.

• Mount Olympus ( Olympus Mons ), rises 22 kilometers above the surrounding plain, which is nearly   three times the height of Mount Everest .
• Mount Olympus is not only the highest mountain on Mars, it is the largest volcano and the highest mountain in the Solar System, of course known so far.
• Mount Olympus is located on the red planet, at the approximate coordinates of 18º N, 226º E.
• Long before space probes such as Curiosity or Mars Rovers visited the planet, it was already known to astronomers as Nix Olympica.

How tall is Mount Olympus?

• It has a border of cliffs up to 6 km high.
• Its caldera is 85 km long, 60 km wide and 2.4 to 2.8 km deep, and up to six chimneys can be seen.
• The base of the volcano measures  600 km in diameter  including the outer edge of the cliffs, which gives it an area at its base of approximately 283,000 km², which would be the surface of Ecuador.

• This volcano is so big that if a person were on Mars they would be unable to even see the silhouette of the volcano. Even getting far enough away would be impossible as the planet’s curvature would begin to hide it.
• The effect would be, like looking at a “wall”, or confusing the mountain with the line of the horizon. 
• The only way to see the mountain is from space.
• In the same way, if someone were to stand on the top of the volcano and look down, they would not be able to see the end since the slope would reach the horizon.
• The top of Mount Olympus is not above the Martian atmosphere.
• Mount Olympus is a shield volcano. Shield volcanoes are tall and wide, with a rounded and flattened shape, like some Hawaiian volcanoes, El Manua Loa, the largest volcano on the planet is an example of this.
• Mount Olympus (Mars) vs Everest. Mount Olympus compared to Mount Everest is huge, judging by this image.