
This is alist of the tallest mountains in the Solar System. This list includes peaks on allcelestial bodies where significant mountains have been detected. For some celestial bodies, different peaks are given across different types of measurement. The solar system's tallest mountain is possibly theOlympus Mons onMars with an altitude of 21.9 to 26 km. The central peak ofRheasilvia on the asteroidVesta is also a candidate to be the tallest, with an estimated at up to between 19 and 22 km from peak to base.
Heights are given from base to peak (although a precise definition for mean base level is lacking). Peak elevations abovesea level are only available on Earth, and possiblyTitan.[1] On other planets, peak elevations above anequipotential surface or areference ellipsoid could be used if enough data is available for the calculation, but this is often not the case.
| Planet | Tallest peak(s) | Base-to-peak height | % of radius[n 1] | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Caloris Montes | ≤ 3 km (1.9 mi)[2][3] | 0.12 | impact[4] | Formed by theCaloris impact |
| Venus | Skadi Mons (Maxwell Montes massif) | 6.4 km (4.0 mi)[5] (11 km above mean) | 0.11 | tectonic[6] | Has radar-bright slopes due to metallicVenus snow, possiblylead sulfide[7] |
| Maat Mons | 4.9 km (3.0 mi) (approx.)[8] | 0.081 | volcanic[9] | Highest volcano on Venus | |
| Earth[n 2] | Mauna Kea andMauna Loa | 10.2 km (6.3 mi)[11] | 0.16 | volcanic | 4.2 km (2.6 mi) of this is above sea level |
| Haleakalā | 9.1 km (5.7 mi)[12] | 0.14 | volcanic | Rises 3.1 km above sea level[12] | |
| Pico del Teide | 7.5 km (4.7 mi)[13] | 0.12 | volcanic | Rises 3.7 km above sea level[13] | |
| Denali (Mount McKinley) | 5.3 to 5.9 km (3.3 to 3.7 mi)[14] | 0.093 | tectonic | Tallest mountain base-to-peak on land[15][n 3] | |
| Mount Everest | 3.6 to 4.6 km (2.2 to 2.9 mi)[16] | 0.072 | tectonic | 4.6 km on north face, 3.6 km on south face;[n 4] highest elevation (8.8 km) above sea level, as well as by wet and dryprominence (but not among the tallest from base to peak, nor in distance to Earth's center, asMt Chimborazo rises highest). | |
| Moon[n 5] | Mons Huygens | 5.3 km (3.3 mi)[20] | 0.31 | impact | Formed by theImbrium impact. |
| Mons Mouton | 6 km (3.7 mi)[20] | 0.35 | impact | Possibly formed by the South Pole-Aitken basin impact. | |
| Southern Farside Mountain | 7 km (4.3 mi)[20] | 0.40 | impact | Informal name of the Moon's tallest free-standing mountain. Possibly formed by the South Pole-Aitken basin impact. Not highest lunar peak byprominence, which would beSelenean summit. | |
| Mons Hadley | 4.5 km (2.8 mi)[21][22] | 0.26 | impact | Formed by theImbrium impact | |
| Mons Rümker | 1.3 km (0.81 mi)[23] | 0.063 | volcanic | Largest volcanic construct on the Moon[23] | |
| Mars | Olympus Mons | 21.9–26 km (13.6–16.2 mi; 72,000–85,000 ft)[n 6][24][25][26] | 0.65 | volcanic | Tallest mountain in theSolar System. Rises 26 km above northern plains,[27] (dryprominence) 1000 km away. Summit calderas are 60×80 km wide, up to 3.2 km deep;[26] scarp around margin is up to 8 km high.[28] Ashield volcano, the mean flank slope is a modest 5.2 degrees.[25] |
| Ascraeus Mons | 14.9 km (9.3 mi)[25] | 0.44 | volcanic | Tallest of the threeTharsis Montes | |
| Elysium Mons | 12.6 km (7.8 mi)[25] | 0.37 | volcanic | Highest volcano inElysium | |
| Arsia Mons | 11.7 km (7.3 mi)[25] | 0.35 | volcanic | Summitcaldera is 108 to 138 km (67 to 86 mi) across[25] | |
| Pavonis Mons | 8.4 km (5.2 mi)[25] | 0.25 | volcanic | Summit caldera is 4.8 km (3.0 mi) deep[25] | |
| Anseris Mons | 6.2 km (3.9 mi)[29] | 0.18 | impact | Among the highest nonvolcanic peaks on Mars, formed by theHellas impact | |
| Aeolis Mons ("Mount Sharp") | 4.5 to 5.5 km (2.8 to 3.4 mi)[30][n 7] | 0.16 | deposition anderosion[n 8] | Formed from deposits inGale crater;[35] theMSL rover has been ascending it since November 2014.[36] | |
| Vesta | Rheasilviacentral peak | [37]20–22 km (12–14 mi; 66,000–72,000 ft)[n 9][38][39] | 8.4 | impact | Almost 200 km (120 mi) wide. See also:List of largest craters in the Solar System |
| Ceres | Ahuna Mons | 4 km (2.5 mi)[40] | 0.85 | cryovolcanic[41] | Isolated steep-sided dome in relatively smooth area; max. height of ~ 5 km on steepest side; roughlyantipodal tolargest impact basin on Ceres |
| Io | Boösaule Montes "South"[42] | 17.5 to 18.2 km (10.9 to 11.3 mi)[43] | 1.0 | tectonic | Has a 15 km (9 mi) high scarp on its SE margin[44] |
| Ionian Mons east ridge | 12.7 km (7.9 mi) (approx.)[44][45] | 0.70 | tectonic | Has the form of a curved double ridge | |
| Euboea Montes | 10.5 to 13.4 km (6.5 to 8.3 mi)[46] | 0.74 | tectonic | A NW flank landslide left a 25,000 km3 debris apron[47][n 10] | |
| unnamed (245° W, 30° S) | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) (approx.)[48][49] | 0.14 | volcanic | One of the tallest of Io's many volcanoes, with an atypical conical form[49][n 11] | |
| Mimas | Herschelcentral peak | 7 km (4 mi) (approx.)[51] | 3.5 | impact | See also:List of largest craters in the Solar System |
| Dione | Janiculum Dorsa | 1.5 km (0.9 mi)[52] | 0.27 | tectonic[n 12] | Surrounding crust depressed ca. 0.3 km. |
| Titan | Mithrim Montes | ≤ 3.3 km (2.1 mi)[55] | 0.13 | tectonic[55] | May have formed due to global contraction[56] |
| Doom Mons | 1.45 km (0.90 mi)[57] | 0.056 | cryovolcanic[57] | Adjacent toSotra Patera, a 1.7 km (1.1 mi) deep collapse feature[57] | |
| Iapetus | equatorial ridge | 20 km (12 mi) (approx.)[58] | 2.7 | uncertain[n 13] | Individual peaks have not been measured |
| Oberon | unnamed ("limb mountain") | 11 km (7 mi) (approx.)[51] | 1.4 | impact (?) | A value of 6 km was given shortly after theVoyager 2 encounter[62] |
| Pluto | Tenzing Montes, peak "T2" | ~6.2 km (3.9 mi)[63] | 0.52 | tectonic[64] (?) | Composed of water ice;[64] named afterTenzing Norgay[65] |
| Piccard Mons[66][67] | ~5.5 km (3.4 mi)[63] | 0.46 | cryovolcanic (?) | ~220 km across;[68] central depression is 11 km deep[63] | |
| Wright Mons[66][67] | ~4.7 km (2.9 mi)[63] | 0.40 | cryovolcanic (?) | ~160 km across;[66] summit depression ~56 km across[69] and 4.5 km deep[63] | |
| Charon | Butler Mons[70] | ≥ 4.5 km (2.8 mi)[70] | 0.74 | tectonic (?) | Vulcan Planitia, the southern plains, has several isolated peaks, possibly tilted crustal blocks[70] |
| Dorothycentral peak[70] | ~4.0 km (2.5 mi)[70] | 0.66 | impact | North polar impact basin Dorothy, Charon's largest, is ~240 km across and 6 km deep[70] | |
| Máni | unnamed | 25 km (16 mi)[71] | 6.3 | impact[71] | Discovered bystellar occultation; it is unclear whether this feature is a genuine topographic peak or atransiting/occulting satellite.[71] |
The following images are shown in order of decreasing base-to-peak height.