The highest volcano in the solar system was once surrounded by water. Mars had a lot of it

Mars is smaller than Earth, but it holds some of the standard locations in the entire solar system. It is located on the red planet The largest mountain in our star system and at the same time the highest volcano is called Olympus Mons. New research by a team of scientists and shared by the European Space Agency points to this It was surrounded by water.

Mars is now a dry and barren world, which has become the result of the influence of the Sun. However, until a few billion years ago, there was a lot of water on its surface. This has been proven by various studies conducted by scientists for years. Evidence is found on river deltas and large bodies of water. There may have been an ocean on the surface once.

There was also water near the volcano Olympus Mons. This was shown by looking at data collected by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express probe. Below is a map of the surface of Lycus Sulci and Yelwa Crater, which is located near the volcanic formation. You can see here Many ripples in the terrain. Scientists have taken a closer look at these places and say they know the origin of this phenomenon.

According to scientists The lava flowing from Olympus Mons must have been in contact with the water (also in the form of ice), which has led to many landslides. This soil extended up to 1,000 kilometers from the crater and then formed on the surface of Mars that we can see today.

Similar landscapes have also been found elsewhere on Mars. Scientists say that water played a major role in the formation of such areas on the Red Planet. The cliffs found in the area of ​​Olympus Mons suggest this The ancient coastline where the liquid water is. New research confirms a theory that has been proposed for some time.

Olympus Mons is a supervolcano and the tallest in the entire solar system. rise to height 25-27 km above the surrounding plain. For comparison, the highest elevation on earth, which is Mount Everest, is 8848 meters above sea level, and the diameter of the base of the volcano is 624 km, and there are many cliffs that reach a height of 6 km.

Olympus Mons crater at the top 60 km wide and 85 km long. In addition, its depth is 3 km. Currently, the volcano is extinct, but the data collected in this place by Mars probes indicate that the last eruption occurred relatively recently, about 100-200 million years ago. Some layers of solidified lava are estimated to be only two million years old.