The Largest Mars Earthquake In History Could Give Scientists A Better Understanding Of The Martian Core

take 7 minutes to read
Home News Main article

Scientists Have Recently Published A New Study Of The Largest Earthquake On Mars Like Earth, Mars Will Experience Large-scale Earthquake Events, Which May Lead To The Displacement Of The Surface Of The Red Planet. These Events Are Called "Mars Earthquakes". Researchers At The Federal Institute Of Technology In Zurich Said That When The Soil On Mars "is Subjected To Strong Stress Accumulation And The Rock Structure Breaks, Mars Earthquakes Will Occur". Now, A New Study Has Analyzed The Largest Mars Earthquake Recorded By Researchers, Both Of Which Were Recorded Last Year.

bgrpic-copy-2.webp

Researchers In earthquake Records 》Their Findings Were Published In The Journal The Seismic Record. The Findings Were Written By Researchers At The University Of Bristol In The UK. In The Paper, They Confirmed Seismic Activity And Even Shared The Magnitude Experienced On The Surface Of Mars.

The Largest Mars Earthquake On Record Occurred On August 25 And September 18, 2021. Seismographs Attached To NASA's Insight Lander Recorded These Events. NASA Recently Extended The Mission Of Insight; However, Its Power Reserve Is Already Very Low. Therefore, This May Be One Of The Last Big Data Researchers Get From The Lander. The First Mars Earthquake Recorded A Magnitude Of 4.2. The Second Time, The Magnitude Measured By Insight Was 4.1.

ingenuity-sixth-flight-image.webp

These Measurements Are Far From Comparable To Some Of The More Powerful Earthquakes Suspected Of Hitting Our Planet. The Ancient Chilean Earthquake Is Believed To Have Measured About 9.5. Nevertheless, They Are Still Shocking Readings. Especially When Considering The Source Of Mars Earthquakes.

When Insight Landed On The Surface Of Mars In 2018, It Brought The First Seismograph To The Red Planet. In 2019, When The Seismograph Was Finally Set Up, Insight Began To Monitor The Seismic Activity Of The Planet. Before Long, It Recorded The First Mars Earthquake. Since Then, Insight Has Recorded Hundreds Of Mars Earthquakes.

However, The Reason Why The Largest Mars Earthquakes In History Are So Interesting Is Partly Due To Their Origin. They Are Not Only Five Times Stronger Than Any Earthquake Previously Recorded By The Researchers. Moreover, They Also Come From An Area Called "core Shadow Area". This Area Is About 8500 Kilometers From The Insight Lander.

Screen-Shot-2020-08-20-at-1.12.12-PM-copy-3.webp

The Researchers Explained That The Seismic Waves Generated In This Area Often Cannot Be Transmitted Directly To The Insight Lander. This Is Because The Core Of The Planet Affects, Sometimes Blocking Seismic Waves. On The Contrary, The Pressure Wave Will Be Reflected At Least Once Before Reaching Insight. Previously, The Energy Transmitted In The "core Shadow Area" Of Mars Has Never Been Studied By Seismology. Therefore, Recording The Largest Mars Earthquake In History Is A Great Progress For Scientists.

It Can Not Only Help Scientists Learn More About General Mars Earthquakes. But Scientists Also Believe It Can Help Reveal More Information About The Deep Layers That Make Up Mars. With Luck, It May Even Tell Us More About Ancient Mars And How The Planet Formed And Evolved Over The Years.

NASA Celebrates The Third Anniversary Of The Astrobee Robot's Operation On The International Space Station
« Prev 05-03
The 22h2 Anniversary Update Of Windows 11 May Enter RTM Status In A Few Weeks
Next » 05-03