The highest mountain peak in the solar system is Olympus Mons, located on the planet Mars. 🪐⛰️
🧭 Key Facts about Olympus Mons:
- Height: ~22 kilometers (13.6 miles or about 72,000 feet)
- That’s nearly 2.5 times taller than Mount Everest!
- Base diameter: ~600 kilometers (373 miles)
- Type: Shield volcano (similar to volcanoes in Hawaii but much bigger)
- Location: Tharsis volcanic region on Mars
🌋 Why is it so big?
- Mars has lower gravity than Earth — about 38% of Earth's gravity — which allows geological features to grow taller.
- Mars lacks tectonic plate movement, so the volcano stayed over a "hot spot" for millions of years, allowing it to erupt and grow continually.
- There’s less erosion on Mars because of its thin atmosphere, meaning mountains can remain huge for eons.
🌍 Comparison:
- Mountain Planet Height (approx.)
- Olympus Mons Mars 22 km (72,000 ft)
- Mount Everest Earth 8.8 km (29,032 ft)
- Mauna Kea (base to summit) Earth 10.2 km (33,500 ft)*
* Mauna Kea is taller than Everest from base to summit, but much of it is underwater.
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