Scientists find out that the largest volcano in the Solar System on Mars turned out to be an island

Scientists from France have discovered new information about the Martian mountain Olympus, the highest point on Mars and the solar system. They suggest that Olympus, which is an extinct shield volcano, may have once been a volcanic island in the middle of the ocean in the planet's remote past.

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The National Centre for Scientific Research of France writes about the new research of scientists. Olympus, which is about 25 kilometres high (almost three times higher than Mount Everest on Earth), covers an area of more than 300,000 square kilometres.

Scientists note that this mountain was formed during a long period of volcanism, and its main part was formed about 2.5 billion years ago. According to the findings of geologists, Mount Olympus may have been active about 3-3.7 billion years ago, when Mars was still covered by the ocean.

Scientists are particularly interested in the six-kilometre-long semicircular ledge concave to the centre of Olympus, which is very similar to the Earth's volcanic islands of Pico and Hawaii. These terrestrial islands were formed by volcanic eruptions in the sea, and their morphology is due to the interaction of lava with the water where it solidified. This suggests that Olympus may be a submerged part of a volcano, and researchers are trying to find out if this scenario is possible.

More detailed studies of Olympus and neighbouring Mount Alba, which also has similar escarpments, could help clarify the water level in the ancient Martian ocean and provide a deeper understanding of Mars' geological past. The researchers' findings help enrich our knowledge of this mysterious planet and its history.

As a reminder, astronomers were able to detect a radio signal from a distant galaxy at a distance of 8.8 billion light years from Earth. It may be associated with an alien civilisation.

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