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Olympus Mons is partially surrounded by a region of distinctive grooved or corrugated terrain known as the Olympus Mons aureole. The aureole consists of several large lobes. Northwest of the volcano, the aureole extends a distance of up to 750 km (470 mi) and is known as Lycus Sulci ( 24°36′N 219°00′E / 24.600°N 219.000°E ...
The solar system's tallest mountain is possibly the Olympus Mons on Mars with an altitude of 21.9 to 26 km. The central peak of Rheasilvia on the asteroid Vesta is also a candidate to be the tallest, with an estimated at up to between 20 and 25 km from peak to base.
Lycus Sulci (24.6° N, 219° E) is the name applied to the northwestern portion of a larger terrain feature that partially encircles Olympus Mons and extends up to 750 km from the giant shield volcano's base. This feature, called the Olympus Mons aureole, consists of several large lobes and has a distinctive corrugated or grooved surface texture.
Schematic view of Olympus Mons, Mars: Image title: Comparison of Olympus Mons with the highest mountains on Earth. In front of the central part of Olympus Mons are shown the largest terrestrial volcanic mountain, the island of Hawaii in the Pacific with its undersea pedestal, and the Mount Everest massif of the Himalayas.
The huge shield volcano Olympus Mons lies off the main bulge, at the western edge of the province. The extreme massiveness of Tharsis has placed tremendous stress on the planet's lithosphere . As a result, immense extensional fractures ( grabens and rift valleys ) radiate outward from Tharsis, extending halfway around the planet.
The shield volcano, Olympus Mons (Mount Olympus), rises 22 km above the surrounding volcanic plains, and is the highest known mountain on any planet in the solar system. [10] It is in a vast upland region called Tharsis, which contains several large volcanos. See list of mountains on Mars.
However, the largest volcano on the planet, Olympus Mons, is thought to have formed when the plates were not moving. Olympus Mons may have formed just after the plate motion stopped. The mare-like plains on Mars are roughly 3 to 3.5 billion years old. [72] The giant shield volcanoes are younger, formed between 1 and 2 billion years ago.
Clouds are present around Arsia Mons throughout the Martian year, peaking in late summer. [107] Clouds surrounding mountains display a seasonal variability. Clouds at Olympus Mons and Ascreaus Mons appear in northern hemisphere spring and summer, reaching a total maximum area of approximately 900,000 km 2 and 1,000,000 km 2 respectively in late ...