Volcanology of Mars through the crust to produce volcanic mountains. However, the largest volcano on the planet, Olympus Mons, is thought to have formed when the plates were not moving. Olympus Mons may have formed just after the plate motion stopped. The mare-like plains on Mars are roughly 3 to 3.5 billion years old. The giant shield volcanoes are younger, formed between 1 and 2 billion years ago. Olympus Mons may be "as young as 200 million years." Norman H. Sleep, professor of geophysics at Stanford University, described how the three volcanoes that form a line along the Tharsis Ridge may be extinct
Exploration of Mars one of the proponents of such missions. Various asteroids, moons, and places on Mars can be mined while crops are initially being planted. This method will save lives on Earth, add potentially trillions of dollars to the world economy annually, and provide a stable colony on Mars. Some have also stated that persons should stay on Earth, but get food and resources from Mars and surrounding asteroids, moons, greenhouses in space and other structures. Some critics contend unmanned robots can perform better than humans at a fraction of the expense. If life exists on Mars, a human mission could contaminate