Every Volcano In Our Solar System Explained In 13 Minutes

Olympus Mons The largest volcano in the solar system, and it is not close. It rises about 22 kilometers above the surrounding plains of Mars, roughly two and a half times the height of Mount Everest measured from sea level, and its total elevation change from the lowest surrounding plain to the summit approaches 26 kilometers. Its base spans some 600 kilometers, wide enough to cover the entire US state of Arizona, or roughly the whole of Italy. It is a shield volcano, a broad, gently sloping dome built up over billions of years by countless flows of runny basaltic lava rather than explosive eruptions.