Last Reviewed and Updated on July 29, 2022
Volcanic activity on Earth is fascinating, but Earth is far from being the only planet in our Solar system with volcanoes. Which planet has the most volcanoes? Which has the largest one? Want to know where there is the most volcanic activity in our Solar system? Let’s find out!
Which planet has the most volcanoes?
When it comes to the numbers, Venus is the winner in our Solar System. There are over 1600 major volcanoes on Venus, with at least 167 ones that are over 60 miles / 100 km across. There are also a whole lot of smaller ones. The surface of Venus is dominated by volcanic features.
Venus mostly has shield volcanoes, widespread lava flows, and tick-like, pancake dome volcanoes (unique to Venus).
It was long believed there is no active volcanic activity as well as no recent activity; however, in 2020, a study showed Venus could have at least 37 active volcanoes.
Which planet has the largest volcano?
While Venus is a planet with most volcanoes, surprisingly, it does not have the largest one in the Solar System.
The largest known volcano in our Solar system is the Olympus Mons on the planet Mars. Olympus Mons, a shield volcano, is about 370 miles / 600 km in diameter.
Which planet has the most active volcanoes?
With about 1350 potentially active volcanoes, Earth takes the crown. It is the most volcanically active planet in our solar system, but it isn’t the most active astronomical body.
The most volcanically active body in our solar system is the moon Io
Io, the moon of Jupiter, is the most volcanically active astronomical body in our Solar System.
More than 150 active volcanoes were observed with spacecraft passing by, and based on these observations; the predictions are there are up to 400 such volcanoes on Io. Considering Io is just about a quarter of Earth’s diameter wide, and the mass of Io is just about 1.4%, the number of volcanoes is impressive.
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