12.3k views
4 votes
The huge volcano Olympus Mons on Mars and those that make up the Hawaiian Islands on Earth appear to be very similar, but they differ in one important respect. What is this difference?

1 Answer

2 votes

Answer: The Olympus Mons volcano is a shield volcano created by lava slowly flowing down their sides, but the Hawaii's Mauna Loa is a violent volcano spewing molten material.

Step-by-step explanation:

Truly, comparing Hawaii's Mauna Loa—the tallest volcano on Earth, that rises 6.3 miles (10 km) above the sea floor (but with its peak only 2.6 miles above sea level) and the huge Olympus Mons volcano, we observe that the Olympus Mons volcano is a shield volcano.

Unlike the Hawaii's Mauna Loa that violently spews molten material, shield volcanoes like Olympus Mons are created by lava slowly flowing down their sides.

User Himi
by
5.4k points