Is Mars stil volcanically active?

Is Mars still volcanically active? Is there any evidence that shows or may imply that it is??

Originally posted by md1978

Is Mars still volcanically active? Is there any evidence that shows or may imply that it is??

As far as I am aware, no. It has been dead for a while, hence no magnetic field.

posted by md1978: “Is Mars still volcanically active? Is there any evidence that shows or may imply that it is??

1) No, Mars is not volcanically active today.
2) Tallest volcano known in the Solar System in on Mars, know as Mount Olympus, stands 35 kilometers, whereas Mt. Everest on Earth stands about 10 kilometers. The youngest lava flows on Olympus Mons - Solar System's largest - are only 20 to 200 million years old, but young in geologic time.

PS. One of Saturn's smaller moons, Enceladus, spews an Old Faithful-size plume of icy water into space, surprised NASA scientists confirmed Thursday.



[edit on 5/2/2006 by donwhite]

Since when isn't Venus volcanically active?

Commander, is the activity on Venus tectonic? IE, are there plates, subduction, movement of the plates, etc? Any other planets/moons?

Venus is an odd one. We know that it periodically resurfaces itself every few hundred million years, but we don't know why. It has been argued that the lack of surface water it a factor, as oddly enough water acts as lubricant in plate tectonics. I need to get a source for that last fact though. I think that Bill Bryson mentions it in his book on everything, but here's a link to a Wikipedia article on the Rock Cycle: en.wikipedia.org...
Lack of water combined with active volcanism on Venus might mean that vast pressures build up, leading to periodic resurfacing events.
You wouldn't want to live there. At all.

posted by Darkmind: “Venus is an odd one. We know that it periodically resurfaces itself every few hundred million years, but we don't know why. It has been argued that the lack of surface water is a factor, as oddly enough water acts as a lubricant in Earth’s plate tectonics. Lack of water combined with active volcanism on Venus might mean that vast pressures build up, leading to periodic resurfacing events. You wouldn't want to live there. At all. [Edited by Don W]

No on living there. I believe the Ruskies have the best and longest lived exploratory vehicles to the surface of Venus, many years ago. Memory is the surface temperature is over 700 deg F., and the pressure is equal to about 300 feet of water on Earth. Finally, I think it is said the atmosphere holds a lot of sulphuric acid.

I have no problem with this combination of heat, pressure and acidity “etching” any planet’s surface. Why it should renew ever so many 100s of millions of years is a mystery to me though and I don’t think I’ve read any theories on that one. Maybe the Intelligent Design people can explain this?

PS. “Intelligent Design” is defined as, “If you cannot explain it to me, then it is intelligent design.”