True polar wander on Mars to the atmosphere, as well as carbon dioxide to warm the atmosphere; these effects would provide water for the rivers. Tharsis is found in the Amazonis quadrangle and the Tharsis quadrangle. True polar wander on Mars For some time, scientists have thought that the location of the poles of Mars have shifted due to the great mass of volcanic material in the Tharsis dome which includes Olympus Mons, the highest volcano in the solar system. A study published in Nature supports this idea. For a period early in the history of Mars, the poles were about 20 degrees away from
Olympus Mons gradient and residual heat from the volcano's magma chamber. Potential springs or seeps around the volcano would offer exciting possibilities for detecting microbial life. Olympus Mons and a few other volcanoes in the Tharsis region stand high enough to reach above the frequent Martian dust-storms recorded by telescopic observers as early as the 19th century. The astronomer Patrick Moore pointed out that Schiaparelli (1835–1910) "had found that his "Nodus Gordis" and "Olympic Snow" [Nix Olympica] were almost the only features to be seen" during dust storms, and "guessed correctly that they must be high". The Mariner 9 spacecraft arrived in