Olympus Mons Summit

Today's VIS image shows the upper elevations of Olympus Mons, including part of the summit caldera. Scarps and extensional features (graben) record multiple stages of caldera collapse at the summit of Olympus Mons. Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system, reaching heights over 40 km (25 miles) tall from base to summit, with the base covering an area as large as the state of Arizona. For comparison, Mauna Loa is 9 km (5.5 miles) tall measured from its base on the sea floor.