{
  "id": 12089250,
  "title": "Is Olympus Mons really the Solar System’s highest mountain?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/is-olympus-mons-really-the-solar-systems-highest-mountain",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-05T06:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Big Think",
    "slug": "big-think",
    "url": "https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/olympus-mons-solar-system-highest-mountain/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Olympus Mons, a massive volcanic mountain located on Mars, is indeed the tallest mountain in the Solar System. Measuring 21.3 km (70,000 feet) from base to peak, it dwarfs even the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest, which stands at 8.849 km (29,032 feet) above sea level. This comparison was made possible by data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) that was used to create a topographic map of Mars.\n\nMars, being a lower-mass planet, has less gravity than Earth, allowing Olympus Mons to grow to such an enormous size. The absence of continental drift on Mars has also played a significant role in the mountain's growth over time. This factor, combined with the planet’s low gravity, allowed the volcano to accumulate more material over millions of years.\n\nWhile lower-mass worlds in the Solar System can have impressive tall features, Olympus Mons stands out as the most massive mountain. Other high-profile geological formations, such as the equatorial ridge on Iapetus and the central peak of Rheasilvia on asteroid Vesta, are also noteworthy but do not surpass Olympus Mons in terms of sheer size.",
  "summary": "Planet Earth possesses many impressively large mountains. This map shows the number of bodies located near the summit of Mt. Everest, the highest point above sea level on the surface of planet Earth. Although it was long thought that terrain would be the most significant contributing factor to deaths on the mountain, the distribution of bodies shows that the main culprit is not terrain, but…",
  "key_points": [
    "Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain in the Solar System at 21.3 km (70,000 feet).",
    "Mars' lower gravity allows Olympus Mons to grow to immense size.",
    "Absence of continental drift on Mars contributes to the mountain's growth."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}