When considering the possible loneliness of our universe, many people have probably looked at the stars. Is it possible that the universe and its planets are similar? Let’s look at one of our neighboring planets, Mars, and compare it to Earth. Despite not having oceans, trees, or visible organisms on its surface, Mars does have some similarities with our planet. Three shared characteristics between Mars and Earth include continents, craters, and volcanic formations.
Both Earth and Mars have continents. These landmasses are made of less dense material compared to the surrounding crust, causing them to rise above the ocean floor. On Earth, there are seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Meanwhile on Mars, it has two elevated regions known as the Highlands and the Tharsis Ridge or Bulge which can be considered its continents. The Highlands are located in the lower half of the planet while Tharsis Ridge is about the size of a small continent or a large volcanic island on Earth. It is important to note that both Mars and Earth share this characteristic of having continents; moreover, they both have craters too.
Approximately two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, leaving the remaining portion exhibiting minor cratering. These craters are gradually eradicated by erosion from wind and water. In contrast, Mars does not possess any oceans, resulting in its entire surface being marked with craters to different degrees. Notably, the Tharsis Ridge on Mars, which houses Martian volcanoes, stands out due to a lesser amount of cratering.
Both Mars and Earth have craters, but they differ in terms of their characteristics. Mars’s lowlands have a moderate number of craters, while the highlands in the southern hemisphere have a large number of craters. Similarly, Earth also has many craters, such as Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona which is approximately 49,000 years old and about 3/4 mile wide. On Mars, the regions of Sinus Sabaus and Deucalionis Regio also contain numerous craters with various features such as nested, overlapping, and raised central peak formations. In addition to this erosion caused by sand at Mars’s southern pole gradually erases these craters similar to how wind and water do on Earth. However, what distinguishes both planets are their volcanic formations.
In summary, Earth and Mars have similar volcanic formations. One example is Mauna Kea, a shield volcano that played a role in shaping Hawaii’s Big Island. Shield volcanoes can reach massive sizes, with Mauna Kea being the tallest on Earth at an impressive height of 13,796 feet above sea level. What makes it even more remarkable is that it originates from the ocean floor and rises approximately 30,000 feet.
Even though Mauna Kea is mostly underwater, it would still be considered one of the tallest mountains globally. The shield volcanoes on Mars are similar to those found on Earth and include Olympus Mons, which is the largest volcano in the solar system. It surpasses both Mt. Everest and Mauna Loa in size, even when measured from the ocean floor. Furthermore, Olympus Mons is wider than the entire chain of Hawaiian Islands. On Earth, volcanoes often appear together and form strings that create island chains like Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
The “Ring of Fire” is a well-known area known for its frequent earthquakes and many volcanoes. This region includes the Cascade range in the United States and the surrounding territories around the Pacific Ocean, spanning from Asia to South America. In the central Pacific, the Hawaiian Islands are formed at a hot spot within Earth’s crust instead of at a boundary between crusts. Furthermore, there are numerous earthquakes along the mid-ocean ridge in the Atlantic Ocean, where new crust is created through underwater volcanoes.
The Tharsis Ridge on Mars is the location of multiple volcanoes, including Olympus Mons. There are three other significant volcanoes on the Tharsis Ridge as well: Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons. Furthermore, formations that resemble those found on Earth also have additional volcanoes such as Tharsis Tholus, Ceraunius Tholus, Elysium Mons, and Albov Tholus.
In brief, Earth and Mars possess unique qualities but also exhibit several similarities. Considering these similarities with Mars, it prompts me to ponder the actual disparities among planets in our universe and the possibility of habitable worlds akin to ours.
