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The Tharsis Montes are slightly smaller than 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 ...
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.
Tharsis (/ ˈ θ ɑːr s ɪ s /) is a vast volcanic plateau centered near the equator in the western hemisphere of Mars. [note 1] The region is home to the largest volcanoes in the Solar System, including the three enormous shield volcanoes Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons, which are collectively known as the Tharsis Montes.
Mons (plural montes) is the Latin word for mountain; it is a descriptor term used in astrogeology for mountainous features in the Solar System. The three Tharsis Montes volcanoes are enormous by terrestrial standards, ranging in diameter from 375 km (233 mi) (Pavonis Mons) to 475 km (295 mi) (Arsia Mons). [1]
Mons — large, isolated, mountain; may or may not be of volcanic origin. plural montes — mountain range. Tholus — small dome-shaped mountain or hill. plural tholi — group of (usually not contiguous) small mountains. Dorsum — long low range. Name type not present on Mars. plural dorsa
The layering is believed to have come from the global warming and cooling cycle on Mars; during cooling periods, water migrated to the poles and formed the ice-water layers, while on subsequent warming, the unthawed ice water was covered by layers of dust and dirt from windstorms on the surface, helping to preserve the ice water. [44] [45]
While a sudden wind gust of 16 m/s would have been required to produce the event, it could not be completely ruled out. [20] The Sol 80 event was later identified as a marsquake. [ 4 ] The earlier Sol 53 event initially received much interest as a possible marsquake, but was correlated with wind and not considered further. [ 2 ]
Pangboche is a young impact crater on Mars, in the Tharsis quadrangle near the summit of Olympus Mons. [1] It was named after a village in Nepal. [2] It measures 10 kilometer in diameter, and is at 17.47° N and 133.4° W. [2] The average depth of the crater is 954 m, and the height of the crater rim varies between 80 and 240 meters. [1]