Tharsis

Tharsis rise
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The Tharsis region (shown in shades of red and brown) dominates the western hemisphere of Mars as seen in this Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) colorized relief map. Tall volcanoes appear white. The Tharsis Montes are the three aligned volcanoes left of center. Olympus Mons sits off to the northwest. The oval feature in the north is Alba Mons. The canyon system Valles Marineris stretches eastward from Tharsis; from its vicinity
Feature typeVolcanic plateau, volcanic province
LocationEastern hemisphere of Mars
Coordinates0°00′N 260°00′E / 0.000°N 260.000°E / 0.000; 260.000[1]
Diameter~5 000 km[2]
Peak~7 km (excluding volcanoes)[3]
EponymTarshish

Tharsis (/ˈθɑːrsɪs/) is a vast volcanic plateau centered near the equator in the western hemisphere of Mars.[note 1] The region is home to the largest volcanoes in the Solar System, including the three enormous shield volcanoes Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons, which are collectively known as the Tharsis Montes. The tallest volcano on the planet, Olympus Mons, is often associated with the Tharsis region but is actually located off the western edge of the plateau. The name Tharsis is the Greco-Latin transliteration of the biblical Tarshish, the land at the western extremity of the known world.[5]

  1. ^ "Tharsis". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. (Center Latitude: 0.00°, Center Longitude: 260.00°)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Boyce was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Tharsis". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Science Center. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
  5. ^ "Welcome to the Planets Version 1.5". pds.jpl.nasa.gov.


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