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Olympus Mons

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This article is about the volcano on Mars. For other uses, see Olympus (disambiguation).

Template:MarsGeo-Mount Olympus Mons (Latin for "Mount Olympus") is a mountain which is located on the planet Mars at approximately 18°24′N 226°00′E / 18.4°N 226°E / 18.4; 226.[1] It is a little under three times as tall as Mount Everest, and is in fact the tallest known volcano and mountain in the Solar System. Olympus Mons was formed during Mars' Amazonian epoch. Since the late 19th century — well before space probes confirmed its identity as a mountain — Olympus Mons was known to astronomers as the albedo feature Nix Olympica (Latin for "Snows of Olympus"), although its mountainous nature was suspected.[2]

General description

Olympus Mons

The central edifice stands 27 kilometres (17 mi) high above the mean surface level of Mars[3][4] (about three times the elevation of Mount Everest above sea level and 2.6 times the height of Mauna Kea above its base). It is 624 km (374 miles) in width,[5] flanked by steep cliffs, and has a caldera complex that is 85 km (53 miles) long, 60 km (37 miles) wide, and up to 3 km (1.8 miles) deep with six overlapping pit craters. Its outer edge consists of an escarpment up to 6 km (4 miles) tall, unique among the shield volcanoes of Mars. The shield of Olympus Mons covers an area approximately the size of Arizona.

Because of the size of Olympus Mons and its shallow slope (2.5 degrees on the central dome, 5 degrees in the outer region), a person standing on the surface of Mars would be unable to view the upper profile of the volcano even from a distance, as the curvature of the planet and the volcano itself would obscure it. Similarly, to an observer standing on the summit, the slope of the volcano would extend beyond the horizon, a mere 3 kilometers away;[6] but one could see the far side of the caldera, 80 kilometers away.

The surrounding scarp, however, has long views of the surrounding terrain. From the southeast scarp highpoint (about 5 km (3 mi) elevation)[7] one could look about 180 km (112 mi) southeast; from the northwest scarp highpoint (about 8 km (5 mi) elevation) one could look upslope possibly 240 km (149 mi) and northeast up to 230 km (143 mi).

An occasional misconception is that the summit of Olympus Mons is above the Martian atmosphere. The atmospheric pressure at the top varies between 5 and 8% of the average Martian surface pressure (600 pascals)[8][9]; by comparison the atmospheric pressure at the summit of Mount Everest is about 32 percent of Earth's sea level pressure (about 100,000 pascals).[10] Even so, airborne Martian dust is still present and high altitude carbon dioxide-ice cloud cover is still possible at the peak of Olympus Mons, though water-ice clouds are not. Although the average Martian surface atmospheric pressure is less than one percent of that seen on Earth, the much lower gravity on Mars allows its atmosphere to extend much higher, as lower gravity increases scale height.

Two of the craters on Olympus Mons have been provisionally assigned names by the IAU. These are the 15.6 km (10 mi) diameter Karzok crater (18°25′N 131°55′W / 18.417°N 131.917°W / 18.417; -131.917) and the 10.4 km (6 mi) diameter Pangboche crater (17°10′N 133°35′W / 17.167°N 133.583°W / 17.167; -133.583).[11]

Volcanism

Olympus Mons originated as a shield volcano, the result of highly fluid lava flowing out of volcanic vents over a long period of time, and is many times wider than it is tall; the average slope of Olympus Mons' flanks is very gradual. In 2004 the Mars Express orbiter imaged old lava flows on the flanks of Olympus Mons. Crater sizes and frequency counts suggest a date for the surface of this western scarp from 115 million years old down to a region only 2 million years old.[12] This is very recent in geological terms, suggesting that the mountain may yet have some ongoing volcanic activity.

The Hawaiian Islands are examples of similar shield volcanoes on a smaller scale (see Mauna Kea). The extraordinary size of Olympus Mons is likely because Mars does not have tectonic plates. Thus, the crust remained fixed over a hotspot and the volcano continued to discharge lava, until it reached such a height.[13]

The caldera at the peak of the volcano was formed after volcanism ceased and the roof of the emptied magma chamber collapsed. During the collapse the surface became extended and formed fractures. Additional caldera collapses were formed later due to subsequent lava production. These overlapped the original circular caldera, giving the edge a less symmetric appearance.[14]

Early observations and naming

The mountain, as well as a few of the other volcanoes in the Tharsis region, has sufficient height to reach above the frequent Martian dust storms, and that was visible from Earth already to 19th century observers. The astronomer Patrick Moore points out that "Schiaparelli had found that his Nodus Gordis and Olympic Snow were almost the only features to be seen" during dust storms, and "guessed correctly that they must be high."[15] Only with the Mariner probes could this be confirmed with certainty. After the Mariner 9 probe had photographed it from orbit in 1972, it became clear that the altitude was much greater than that of any mountain found on Earth, and the name was changed to Olympus Mons.

Surroundings

Caldera and pit craters on Olympus Mons

Olympus Mons is located in the Tharsis region, a huge swelling in the Martian surface that bears numerous other large volcanic features. Among them are a chain of lesser shield volcanoes called the Tharsis Montes—Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons and Ascraeus Mons—which are small only in comparison to Olympus Mons itself. The land immediately surrounding Olympus Mons is a depression in the bulge 2 km (1 mi) deep.

The volcano is surrounded by a region known as the Olympus Mons aureole (Latin, "circle of light") with gigantic ridges and blocks extending 1,000 km (621 mi) from the summit that show evidence of development and resurfacing connected with glacial activity. Both the escarpment and the aureole are poorly understood. In one theory, this basalt cliff was formed by landslides, and the aureole consists of material they deposited. A view of this escarpment (scarp/cliff) is shown in the picture taken by HiRISE below.

  • Olympus Mons Scarp, as seen by HiRISE. Scale bar is 500 meters long.
    Olympus Mons Scarp, as seen by HiRISE. Scale bar is 500 meters long.
  • Image shows both young and old lava flows from the base of Olympus Mons. The flat plain is the younger flow. The older flow has channels with levees along their edges. The presence of levees is quite common in many lava flows. Image from Mars Global Surveyor.
    Image shows both young and old lava flows from the base of Olympus Mons. The flat plain is the younger flow. The older flow has channels with levees along their edges. The presence of levees is quite common in many lava flows. Image from Mars Global Surveyor.

See also

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference gpn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Patrick Moore 1977, Guide to Mars, London (UK), Cutterworth Press, p.96
  3. ^ Highest and lowest points on Mars NASA
  4. ^ Plescia, Jeff (1997-10-01). "Height of Martian vs. Earth mountains". Questions and Answers about Mars terrain and geology. Retrieved 2006-10-01.
  5. ^ "Olympus Mons", NASA, retrieved 30 August 2010.
  6. ^ Martian Volcanoes on HST Images How Far Could I See Standing on Olympus Mons, "2.37 miles", Jeff Beish, Former A.L.P.O. Mars Recorder
  7. ^ Spreading of the Olympus Mons volcanic edifice, Mars. P. J. McGovern lpi.usra.edu, 2005, Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI (2005), Figure 2b showing profiles with NE and SW scarp highpoints
  8. ^ Public Access to Standard Temperature-Pressure Profiles Standard Pressure Profiles measured by MGS Radio Science team at 27 km (17 mi) range from approx 30 to 50 pascals
  9. ^ Late Martian Weather! stanford.edu temperature/pressure profiles 1998 to 2005
  10. ^ Kenneth Baillie and Alistair Simpson. "High altitude barometric pressure". Apex (Altitude Physiology Expeditions). Retrieved 2006-08-10.
  11. ^ Blue, Jennifer (2006-04-07). "New names on Olympus Mons". USGS. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
  12. ^ Martel, Linda M. V. (2005-01-31). "Recent Activity on Mars: Fire and Ice". Planetary Science Research Discoveries. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
  13. ^ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_001432_2015
  14. ^ "Olympus Mons - the caldera in close-up". ESA. 2004-02-11. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
  15. ^ Moore 1977, Guide to Mars, p.120
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