Mauna Loa, a shield volcano in Hawaii, is approximately 10 km in height. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano on Mars that is approximately 27 km in height

Compare the formation of both of these volcanoes. How is it that Olympus Mons could grow so much taller than Mauna Loa?
What will be an ideal response?


Answer: Both volcanoes formed as a result of mantle plumes. However, tectonic motion on Mars has ceased, whereas it is still actively occurring on Earth. As a result, the tectonic plate that contains Mauna Loa is continually moving over the mantle plume, which limits how tall a volcano can grow before it moves away from the plume. On Mars, however, the volcano is not moving and can grow to such heights as lava piles up.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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