Tharsis quadrangle

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tharsis-quadrangle

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Tharsis quadrangle?Approximately 7-10 kilometers (4-6 miles)
2. What is the geological province?A massive volcanic and tectonic uplift region on Mars
3. What is the primary formation mechanism?Extensive volcanism driven by mantle plumes
4. Why is Tharsis so big and high?Tharsis is high because deep hot material from Mars’s mantle pushed up the surface, creating many volcanoes and lifting the land. The weight of the volcanoes also pushed the surrounding crust down, making the area even higher.
5. How do volcanoes like Olympus Mons form?Volcanoes in Tharsis form when hot mantle plumes melt rock and erupt it onto the surface. Because Mars has less gravity and no moving tectonic plates, the volcanoes can grow very tall and wide.

Lithosphere: The rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Isostatic Depression: The sinking of the Earth's crust due to the weight of overlying material.
Basaltic Lava: A type of lava that is relatively low in silica and flows easily, forming shield volcanoes.