Mars and the Biggest Mountain — For 5-Year-Olds

Mars is a red planet that we can see in the sky. On Mars there is the biggest mountain in the whole solar system. Its name is Olympus Mons.

What is Olympus Mons?

Olympus Mons is a very, very big volcano. A volcano is a mountain that can spill out hot rock called lava. Long ago, lava came out of Olympus Mons and made the mountain bigger and bigger.

How big is it?

• It is about three times taller than Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth.
• It is also very wide — wider than a whole city or even a small country.

Why is it so huge?

• Mars has weaker gravity than Earth, so mountains can grow taller without falling down.
• Mars does not have moving ground plates like Earth does. On Earth, plates move and stop mountains from getting too big. On Mars the ground stayed in one place, so the volcano could keep piling up lava in the same spot for a very long time.

What does it look like?

Olympus Mons has gentle sloping sides, like a big, slow hill you could slide down. At the top there is a big bowl-shaped crater where the lava once came out.

Fun to know

• It is the tallest mountain we know in the solar system.
• It is an old, quiet volcano now, so it is not erupting like fireworks.

Would you like to see a picture of Olympus Mons or a drawing that shows how big it is? I can show one if you want!