Book 12, Question 118
Why Do Volcanoes Exist on Other Planets and Moons?
Volcanoes are not only on Earth! Mars has a giant volcano called Olympus Mons, Jupiter's moon Io has hundreds of active volcanoes, and Saturn's moon Enceladus has icy volcanoes that spray water into space. Anywhere a world has heat inside, it can have volcanoes.
More fun facts
- Scientists have found evidence of volcanoes across the solar system.
- A few worlds besides Earth are still volcanically active today.
- Volcanoes on different planets and moons do not all form or erupt the same way.
- Some scientists think Olympus Mons on Mars may be only a few hundred million years old.
- Scientists who study volcanoes on other worlds often visit Hawaii's Big Island to learn from Earth's volcanoes.
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, Smithsonian, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
Could Mars still have volcanoes?
Some scientists think Olympus Mons is young enough that Mars may not be volcanically dead.