Arsia Mons is the second-tallest mountain on Mars, behind Olympus Mons, and the tallest mountain of the Tharsis Montes. It is the southernmost mountain of the Tharsis Montes, with Pavonis Mons north of it, and Ascraeus further north. It is a shield volcano, much like Olympus, but it is not extinct and is very much active. Its unknown when its next eruption will be, but it will likely be in the far future.[1]
Arsia reigns 20.82 kilometers tall, making it one of two features on Mars to be over 20 kilometers tall. At the roof is a large caldera, which is a smooth yet hilly surface. There are many different cave-like entrances, so far 7 have been identified. The largest of which, Chloe, is 250 meters wide. These cave entrances may be secondary exits on the volcano, or may just be sunken in areas caused by igneous rock formation and heating.
Each year, a recurring weather phenomenon takes place at the onset of southern winter over Arsia Mons. As southern winter approaches, sunlight heats the air on the slopes of the volcano. On the leeward slope, water ice condenses, creating a cloud that can stretch westward for more than 1,000 kilometers. This cloud is known as the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud (AMEC)[2]
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| Geology of Mars | ||
|---|---|---|
| Plana | Aeolis Planum • Amenthes Planum • Aonia Planum • Argentea Planum • Ascuris Planum • Aurorae Planum • Bosporus Planum • Daedalia Planum • Hesperia Planum • Icaria Planum • Lucus Planum • Lunae Planum • Malea Planum • Meridiani Planum • Nepenthes Planum • Oenotria Planum • Olympia Planum • Ophir Planum • Oxia Planum • Parva Planum • Planum Angustum • Planum Australe • Planum Boreum • Planum Chronium • Promethei Planum • Sinai Planum • Sisyphi Planum • Solis Planum • Syria Planum • Syrtis Major Planum • Thaumasia Planum • Zephyria Planum | |
| Planitiae | Acidalia Planitia • Amazonis Planitia • Arcadia Planitia • Chryse Planitia • Elysium Planitia • Eridania Planitia • Isidis Planitia • Utopia Planitia | |
| Terrae | Aonia Terra • Arabia Terra • Terra Cimmeria • Margaritifer Terra • Noachis Terra • Promethei Terra • Terra Sabaea • Sirenum Terra • Tyrrhena Terra • Xanthe Terra | |
| Borealis | Vastitas Borealis | |
| Chaos | Hellas Chaos • Iani Chaos • Margaritifer Chaos | |
| Mountains | Aeolis Mons • Alba Mons • Apollinaris Mons • Arsia Mons • Ascraeus Mons • Elysium Mons • Noctis Mons • Olympus Mons • Pavonis Mons • Syria Mons | |
| Fossae | Alba Fossae • Claritas Fossae • Icaria Fossae • Sirenum Fossae | |
| Mensae | Cydonia Mensa • Deuteronilus Mensa • Protonilus Mensa | |
| Dorsae | Solis Dorsum | |
| Sulci | Lycus Sulci • Pavonis Sulci | |
| Labes | Candor Labes | |
| Rupes | Olympus Rupes | |
| Colles | Nili Colles • Scandia Colles | |
| Valles | Ares Valles • Kasei Valles • Maja Valles • Mamers Valles • Marikh Valles • Marte Valles • Reull Vallis • Shalbatana Valles • Simud Valles • Tiu Valles • Valles Marineris | |
| Undae | Tharsis Undae • Olympia Undae | |
| Craters | Antoniadi • Cassini • Dollfus • Gale • Greeley • Huygens • Jezero • Schiaparelli • Tikhonravov | |
| Basins | Hellas Basin • Argyre Basin | |
| Albedo Regions | Sinus Meridiani • Mare Erythraeum | |
| Other | Eridania Lake | |