The continent of Antartica, at the south pole of our planet is the smallest ans coldest continent on Earth. It is there that the lowest temperature on earth was recorded, -89 Celcius, in 1957. Antarctica measures 14 millions square kilometers, but asides from the thousand or so scientists working there, there is no permanent population. An international treaty protects the area against any territorial claims. Antarctica is the biggest reserve of ice on Earth, with 26 millions cubic kilometers of ice and 90% of fresh water on earth. There is enough water on the antarctic continent to raise the ocean level around the world by 61 meters. Having been frozen for now more than 200 millions years, it is unlikely to melt in it's totality in a near future; however, any raise of the sea level is problematic for coastal populations and Antarctica's active volcano could unexpectedly change the present situation, Antarctica is a magnificient, cold place that we need to be aware of !

Satellite view and digital elevation model of Antarctica.
Photo: Nasa

Antarctica. Deluxe Version
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Hawaii Island, became the 50th state of the United States in 1959, it is the southern most point of the country. Beside being a popular vacation destination, Hawaii is also home of some of the best telescopes in the world. The top of the Mauna Kea, at 4000 m above sea-level is home to the Keck observatories, the largest mirror telescopes in the world, as well as several other international observatories. There, the sky is clear for observation some 360 days a year. It is believed that Hawaii was first colonized by Polynesian navigators, some 1000 years ago, today, the Islands are home for more than 1 millions people. It is sometimes said, because of its underwater base starting some 6000 meters below sea-level, that Hawaii is the tallest mountain on earth, being more than 10 000 meters high from base to top. However, while Everest has a denivelation of 4000m, it's summit stands at 8448 meters above the sea-level, which makes of it the highest point on earth. Hawaii is part of a volcanic chain that is still active, with new island growing relentlessly underwater.

Hawaii seen from space. Source:Nasa
21 18'41''N 157 47'47''W

Mount St. Helens is an active volcano in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire that includes over 160 active volcanoes, and is well known for its ash explosions and pyroclastic flows. The most famous erpution of the volcano took place on May 18, 1980, a catastrophic event that killerd fifty-seven people. The eruption caused a massive debris avalanche, reducing the elevation of the mountain's summit from 2950 to 2550 meters and leaving the summit opened by a large horseshoe-shaped crater. Mount St.Helens is in a state of continuous eruption dating back to 2004, and made the news in 2006 for it's increase in activity. Hoping that no other dramatic eruptions take place in the near future, the history of this volcano leads us to belive that it Mount St. Helens has not unleashed the last of her surprises. (Source: Wikipedia Mt St.Helens page)

Mount St-Helens, 19th May 1982
Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey
Digital Elevation Model of the Volcano

Mount Everest is the highest summit on earth. Located in the Himalayas region, it's summit peak stands at 8448 m above sea-level.

At this altitude, there is not enough oxygen to sustain human life, thus mountainers cannot linger for prolongued periods of time.

1 in 10 people who try to reach its summit do not survive the attempt, making it a dangerous trek for any adventurer.

Aerial pictore of Mont Everest.
Author: babasteve , Source: Wikipédia

Hellas Planitia, also known as the Hellas impact crater is an elliptical crater located in the southern hemisphere of planet Mars. With its diameter of 2100 km, it represents the biggest impact structure on the planet. Scientists evaluate that it was formed 3,9 billions years ago, during a period of meteoritic activity in the solar system. Some astronomers believe that the impact was so important that it may be the origin of the Tharsis bulge on the other side of the planet. Hellas crater is so imposing that it was one of the first geological features of Mars to be observed from earth. From it's center to its surrounding wall, there is a change in altitude of 9 km. The mean elevation of the floor of the crater is between 6 and 7 km below the martian "sea-level", which explains that the atmospheric pressure is about 11.55 millibars in the crater. In theory, this is enough pressure for liquid water to exist at tempeatures slighlty above the freezing point. Which makes Hellas a very interesting destination for future robotic exploration.

Digital Elevation Model of Hellas Crater

Arsia Mons: From the Tharsis volcanic region, including Pavonis, Ascraeus and the famous Olympus, Arsia is the southern most mountain of the group and probably the oldest one as well.

At 16 km, its peak is the 3rd highest mountain on Mars, and it's caldera measures 110 km in diameter. Arsia Mons was probably created 100 millions years ago. It is believed that the Tharsis region had an important geological impact on Mars because on the opposing side of the planet, a bulge called Arabia Terra was formed, probably in response to the Tharsis region deformation.

(9.5 North, 120.5 West)

Mont Arsia. Deluxe Version
(Click image to enlarge)

A beautiful representation of one of the most impressive geological formations in the solar system. Situated at 18.4N, 134W on Mars, Mount Olympus is the tallest volcano of the solar system. Soaring 27 km above the martian surface, it is 3 times the height of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. With a 540 km wide base, Mount Olympus is so huge that someone situated on surface of the planet Mars would not be able to see it in its entirety. It is only from space, or with a scaled model like this one, that we are really able to grasp its majesty.

It's Caldera is borded by high cliffs and it measures 85 km by 60 km wide

This scale model is based on the NASA  Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter(MOLA) data from Mars Global Surveyor

Mount Olympus, Deluxe version
(Click image to enlarge)

Pavonis Mons is located in the midts of the volcanic chain of the Tharsis region, near the martian equator. At it's peak, 14 km in altitude, the atmospheric pressure is only 1.3 millibars, compared to 7.5 millibars at the surface.

In comparison, Mount Everest, on Earth is 8.48 km above sea-level and the pressure at the summit is about 330 millibars, while the pressure is 1000 millibars at sea level on earth (The definition of 1 bar being the atmospheric pressure on earth, at sea level).

The Tharsis region has greatly influenced martian geology, scientist believe that at the opposite side of the planet a bulge called Arabia Terra was formed in reaction to the Tharsis Region's deformation.

(0.8 Nord, 113.4 Ouest)

Pavonis Mons. Deluxe version
(Click image to enlarge)

Planum Boreum (From Latin, meaning boreal plain) is the northern polar plain on Mars, extending northward from a lititude of approximately 80 degrees North. It is home to a 1.2 million cubic kilometer, 1200km diameter ice cap composed of water and carbon dioxide. At its center, the ice has a maximum depth of 3 km. At the periphery, iced arms sculpted by the wind sublime to form the characteristic spirals of the Martian pole.

Digital Elevation Model of Mars North Pole
Based on MOLA data by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft

A beautiful representation of one of the best known Lunar Craters. Easily visible from earth, it is also one of the youngest major craters on the visible surface of the Moon. Samples taken during the Apollo 17 Mission indicate that it was created by an impact approximately 108 million years ago.

Tycho crater is surrounded by a distinctive ray system forming long spokes that reach as long as 1,500 kilometers. With a diameter of 85 km, and a central peak rising to 2400 m above the crater floor, Tycho is a magnificient sight seen from earth.

For movie enthusiasts, an important fictional reference to Tycho is found in the Movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, where scientists discover an alien monolith, buried by a civilization before the rise of mankind.

This scale model is based on the radar interferometry measurements made with the Deep Space Network antennas at Goldstone, California.

Source of the Data:
J. L. Margot, D. B. Campbell, R. F. Jurgens, M. A. Slade, The topography of Tycho Crater, J. Geophys. Res., 1999, 104, E5, 11875-11882

Tycho crater. Deluxe version
(Click image to enlarge)