Hard Science
Two kilometers above the lava flows of Mars' Tharsis Bulge, a geologist collects samples from the eastern cliff face at the base of Olympus Mons. To understand the evolution of this Arizona-sized volcano, the scientist investigates the layers of hardened lava that make up the massive feature. The block-like nature of the rock face, caused by columnar jointing, is similar to features on Earth such as The Devil's Tower in Wyoming.