Olympus Mons Lava Flows

Today's VIS image shows flank flows on the east side of Olympus Mons. Olympus Mons stands 26 km (16 miles) above the surrounding plains, which is three times taller than Mt. Everest, and is the tallest volcano in the solar system. Olympus Mons is also wider (585 km, 363 miles) than the state of Arizona. Although these are impressive dimensions an astronaut would find walking these slopes easy, as they are typically only 2 to 5 degrees. This image contains numerous lava flows, leveed lava channels, and a series of round depressions thought to be where the roof of a lava tube has collapsed into the underlying void.