True polar wander on Mars 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 their present positions. At that time ice was deposited in a region called Dorsa Argentea Formation. Also, the Martian dichotomy was aligned along the equator. A band of rivers formed at
Mons Massicus Mons Massicus Mons Massicus, a mountain ridge of ancient Italy, in the territory of the Aurunci, and on the border of Campania and Latium adjectum attributed by most authors to the latter. It projects south-west from the volcanic system of Rocca Monfina (see Suessa Aurunca) as far as the sea, and separates the lower course of the Liris from the plain of Campania. It consists of limestone, with a superstratum of pliocenic and volcanic masses, and was once an island; its highest point is 811 meters (2661 feet) above sea-level. It was very famous for its wine in ancient times.