NASA’s InSight probe detects two “large” earthquakes on the surface of Mars

The InSight Dome Seismometer, called the Internal Structure Seismic Experiment (SEIS). Image Credits: NASA.

NASA recently announced that the InSight lander, looking for geological activity on Mars, had just recorded two “strong, pronounced earthquakes” – in the same region where two earthquakes were previously detected in 2019. The magnitude 3.3 and 3.1 earthquakes originated in an area. Called Cerberus Fossae, it is a series of quasi-parallel fissures on Mars formed from cracks that separate the crust from each other.

This is big news because unlike on Earth, Mars does not have active tectonic plates, and moving plates are the main sources of earthquakes here on Earth. If this is not present, some areas (such as volcanoes) can still be active and cause an earthquake. This also supports the idea that Cerberus Fossae is a seismically active region.

Earthquakes also enable researchers to study the internal structure of Mars. Much of what we know about Earth’s internal structure comes from earthquakes. Since seismic waves propagate differently in different materials, seismology (the study of seismic waves) can tell us a lot about what a planet is.

Mars – Simulation of seismic waves (artist’s concept; 2019). Photo: Wiki Commons.

Geologists are already starting to make some conclusions from these few Martian earthquakes.

“During the mission, we saw two different types of earthquakes: one very similar to the moon and the other more like the earth,” said Taishi Kawamura of the Institute of International Physics in France. Paris, who helped provide the InSight seismometer and distribute its data together with the Swiss Research University ETH Zurich.

Earthquake waves travel more concentrated across the planet, while earthquake waves tend to be more diffuse. “Interestingly, all of these four largest earthquakes, which come from Cerberus Fusai, are like Earth,” Kawamura said.

Noisy winds

Earthquakes were detected in the same period as the one in 2019, and this is probably not a coincidence. Mars winds are strong throughout the year, but they cool somewhat during the summer of Mars (which is when earthquakes are observed). Although the seismograph is protected by a dome, the winds are still strong enough to mask the vibrations produced by earthquakes. The researchers observed earthquakes only when the wind had calmed down.

Cerberus Fusai. Credits: NASA.

NASA’s InSight probe used the scoop on its robotic arm to cover the cable connecting the seismometer to a spacecraft to the Martian soil. Scientists hope this will further help calm the winds and insulate the cable from the extreme temperature changes that are causing it to stretch and contract. Temperatures near the InSight lander may swing from roughly 148 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 100 degrees Celsius) at night to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) during the day.

It’s now prime time for swamps, and Cerberus Fossae is the place to look. The source of the earthquakes is not yet clear, but previous research has indicated that the region could be tectonically active and may even feature landslides in its recent history.

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