MARTIAN VOLCANOES

Volcanism is a geologic process that occurs on Earth today, and has occurred on many planetary bodies throughout the history of the solar system. No volcanism is occurring on the surface of Mars today. In the past, however, volcanism was one of the main forces creating and reshaping the surface of the planet. All of the rocks that have been observed by the Viking landers and the Mars Pathfinder Rover are generally agreed to be volcanic in origin.

Although Mars is much smaller than Earth in both mass and volume, the largest volcanoes in the solar system can be found on its surface. The two largest volcanic regions on Mars are Tharsis and Elysium. These areas are often referred to as the Tharsis or Elysium "bulges", for the elevation of the crust has been raised by hot mantle material pushing up from the Martian interior.

Learn More...
Tharsis Region
Elysium Region
Surface Features of Mars