Brains On! Science podcast for kids Volcanoes in space!
Mar 18, 2015
This podcast explores the biggest volcano in our solar system, Olympus Mons on Mars, and compares it to Mount Everest. It also discusses the growth of volcanoes on Earth and Mars, the presence of volcanoes across the solar system, and heat movement on planets.
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Why Olympus Mons Grew Enormous
- Olympus Mons on Mars is the biggest volcano we know, with a base as big as Arizona and nearly three times Everest's height.
- Mars' crust doesn't move like Earth's tectonic plates, so one hotspot can build a gigantic, long-lived volcano over millions of eruptions.
Tectonic Plates Limit Volcano Size On Earth
- Earth's moving tectonic plates cause volcanic hotspots to create chains of volcanoes rather than one massive mountain.
- As plates drift, a hotspot makes a volcano, then the plate moves and a new volcano forms above the hotspot, limiting each mountain's growth.
Olympus Mons Has Been Quiet For Millions Of Years
- Olympus Mons' last major eruption was likely about 20 million years ago, so witnessing a big eruption would require past-time observation.
- Large eruptions would have sent marsquakes across the planet and produced thousands of smaller local eruptions over time.