he Solar System It is full of unexpected land formations that leave their terrestrial counterparts anecdotal, at least in terms of magnitude. One of them is Mount Olympus It was discovered in the nineteenth century and whose measurements, both in length and in width, are quite overwhelming.
Olympus, which was formed during the past 1,800 million years, is located in the northern hemisphere of the Red Planet and is at least 22 kilometers high, approximately Three times the size of Mount Everest (8849 meters).
However, its disproportionate height is almost anything compared to its expanse: 283,000 square kilometres; Its diameter is 624 km. To get an idea, to get from one extreme to the other we have to walk the equivalent of the size of Poland or Ecuador. In terms of closest to our coordinates, the mountain (which is actually a volcano) It occupies more than half of mainland Spain. As for the caldera, it is 85 kilometers long, 60 kilometers wide and almost three kilometers deep.
Comparing Mount Olympus to the surface of mainland Spain
It was first observed closely in 1971 by a NASA probe Mariner 9Olympus, which is located in a depression of about 2000 meters, is dotted with cliffs up to 6 kilometers high.
Its size is so enormous, in fact, that it can’t even be fully noticed from the surface. Even if the viewer strays away from the base, the The curvature of the planet would prevent us from appreciating its shape. The same thing, in fact, will happen from the top, because the slope will continue to the horizon. Thus, the only way to see it in its entirety is from space.
The disproportionate size of Olympus is due to the fact that Mars, unlike Earth, lacks tectonic plates that collide with each other and alter its surface. This caused the volcano to spew lava for millions of years in the same place, and it grew until it became the Mammoth Mountain it is today.
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