How are volcanoes formed on other planets?

Wednesday 10th Apr 2024, 12.30pm

Volcanoes are pretty amazing! But how do they work on other planets?

Take Mars – it has the largest volcano in the solar system! But volcanologist Tamsin Mather reveals that the red planet is now considered geologically dead, with no volcanic activity for around 500 million years. How do we know how this volcano formed then? Well, space missions have put probes and landers on Mars’ surface, providing evidence of a long lost hot spot beneath the surface.

What about the rest of the solar system? There are glimpses of volcanism on Venus and Jupiter’s moon, Io, too. But how do scientists know? Listen to our latest podcast to find out!

If you would like to learn even more about the volcanoes of Earth and beyond, why not give Tamsin’s new book, Adventures in Volcanoland, a read!