Mars Experiences Massive Quakes, and Not All of Them Come From Below

Incredibly strong marsquakes that violently shake the red planet don’t always originate from beneath the surface, new research reveals.

New Insights on Mars’ Interior and Core

A study using AI to analyze seismic data reveals how intensely the quakes shake the Martian interior.This discovery has important implications for understanding Mars’ core and the processes that shape planets like Earth, Mars, and Venus.

The research also shows that Mars experiences more meteorite impacts than previously thought, requiring a shift in how we view its interior.

“Our findings show that some marsquakes are caused by meteoroid impacts, not tectonic activity,” says planetary scientist Valentin Bickel.

Changing Our Understanding of Marsquake Frequency

“This discovery significantly impacts our estimates of marsquake frequency and our understanding of the dynamics of the Martian surface.”

Despite being the second-most studied planet, much remains unknown about Mars’ geology, history, and evolution, with data gathered by machines across the Solar System.

The Mars InSight lander, active from 2018 to 2022, served as a seismometer to detect Martian surface activity. Scientists, who once thought Mars was geologically inactive, were surprised when it recorded over 1,300 quakes.

Marsquakes: Internal Activity or Meteorite Impacts?

Marsquakes can originate from within the planet due to geological or magmatic activity, or they can be triggered by the impact of incoming space rocks. InSight was able to link some of the tremors to newly formed craters.

Bickel and his team used machine learning algorithms to identify new impact craters that formed during InSight’s mission. They analyzed images of the Martian surface from the HiRISE instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

They then cross-referenced the 123 new craters they found with InSight’s seismic data, searching for matches in both time and space. They successfully linked 49 seismic events to specific impact events.

Mars Bombarded by Space Debris More Than Expected

“Bickel says, ‘Our data show that Mars experiences more impacts than previous studies based on orbital images have suggested.'”

In fact, the new estimated rate of significant impacts on Mars is 1.6 to 2.5 times higher than earlier predictions.”Space debris heavily bombards Mars due to its thin atmosphere.”

In a follow-up study, researchers linked a 21.5-meter crater near Cerberus Fossae to a high-frequency marsquake, prompting a reevaluation of past interpretations.

We thought Cerberus Fossae produced high-frequency seismic signals from internal quakes, but this data suggests some may be from impacts, says Constantinos Charalambous.n

Seismic Waves Travel Deeper Than Expected

The researchers also analyzed the seismic data collected by InSight to further understand the effects of impacts on Mars. Their analysis revealed that seismic waves from impacts didn’t just stay in Mars’ outer crust, as previously believed. Instead, they traveled into the planet’s mantle through a “seismic highway,” reaching deeper regions.

This discovery challenges earlier assumptions about how seismic waves travel and suggests that researchers may have mischaracterized the interior of Mars.

“These findings challenge previous assumptions about seismic wave propagation and suggest that many recorded marsquakes originated farther from InSight’s lander than we had thought,” Charalambous explains.

This will not only lead to a relocation of quake epicenters, but it also means that we need to update our internal model of Mars.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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