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Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system, is found on which world?
- Io, Jupiter's volcanic moon
- Venus
- Mars
- Earth
Why C? And why not the others?
Correct answer: C. Mars
Olympus Mons towers about 25 kilometres above the surface of Mars — roughly three times the height of Mount Everest — with a base the size of Arizona. It grew so monstrous because Mars lacks moving tectonic plates: lava kept erupting over the same hotspot for ages, piling ever higher instead of forming a chain of smaller volcanoes as happens on Earth. Io is a clever-sounding trap since it is the most volcanically active body in the solar system, but its eruptions build no giant like this. Venus is dotted with volcanoes too, and Earth's biggest, Mauna Loa, is a fraction of the size.
Source: ESA: Olympus Mons, 25 kilometres high (esa.int) and NASA APOD 2023-04-04: Olympus Mons