Mysterious noises known as “Marsquakes” were detected by NASA’s InSight lander, providing additional clues about volcanic activity beneath the surface of the Red Planet.
Earthquakes was born in a region called Cerberus Fossae – an area where NASA scientists have taken on significant seismic activity and even landslides in the past.
They we believe that the tremors were probably caused by a sudden release of energy below the planet’s surface, bBecause Mars does not have tectonic plates like Earth, the exact cause and origins of the noise remain unknown.
The quakes were taken over by the InSight seismometer, a special on-board device built to capture Marsquakes.
Using its robotic arm, InSight partially buried the seismometer to protect it from strong seasonal winds and to allow more accurate readings.
NASA’s InSight detected two large earthquakes on Mars in a region called Cerberus Fossae, further supporting the idea that this location is seismically active
The artist’s interpretation of the InSight lander operating on the surface of Mars. Support several other missions orbiting the Red Planet
The area here was detected earthquakes – Cerberus Fossae – is a steep area, cut in volcanic plains, where active landslides were photographed in 2019.
Curiously, the earthquakes occurred almost exactly one Martian year – or two years on Earth – after two previous earthquakes were detected in the same area.
InSight has reported more than 500 earthquakes so far, but because of their clear signals, these four were the best earthquake records for probing the planet’s interior, NASA said in a statement announcing the earthquakes.
Taichi Kawamura, of the Globe Physics Institute in Paris, France, which supports NASA’s mission, said the quakes added to scientists’ understanding of volcanic activity on the planet.
“During the mission, we saw two different types of earthquakes: one that is more ‘moon-like’ and the other, more ‘earth-like,'” he said.
Earthquake waves travel more directly across the planet, while those of lunar earthquakes tend to be very scattered, Kawamura said.
Earthquakes fall somewhere in between.
Interestingly, all four larger earthquakes, coming from Cerberus Fossae, are “Earth-like.”
InSight was launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in May 2018, reaching Mars in November that year, with the mission of giving the planet the first in-depth control since it formed 4.5 billion years ago.
It works with several missions that orbit Mars and travel on the planet’s surface: including the Curiosity rover.
InSight’s ability to adapt to the incredibly harsh conditions on the planet has given it an effort to get more accurate data.
It regularly faces extreme temperature fluctuations – from minus 148 Fahrenheit at night to 32 Fahrenheit – and seasonal fierce winds.
We hope that the Martian summer will bring calmer weather, making it easier to detect other earthquakes.
To record more accurate data, the InSight landing device began using a spoon on its robotic arm to place the ground over the cable that connects its seismometer – called the Seismic Experiment for Inner Structure (SEIS) – with the spacecraft.
“This allows the ground to get as close to the shield as possible without interfering with the shield’s seal with the ground.”
Scientists hope that isolating it from the wind will make it easier to detect earthquakes.
The new earthquakes were slightly smaller than two previous earthquakes of magnitude 3.6 and 3.5 detected in the same region.
InSight has recorded more than 500 earthquakes so far, but thanks to their clear signals, these are four of the best earthquake records for probing the interior of the planet.
Since arriving in November 2018, the InSight lander has been working on several missions that orbit Mars and orbit the planet: including the Curiosity rover.
In 2019, NASA gathered evidence of active landslides at Cerberus Fossae, a set of troughs cut into volcanic plains on Mars
The Curiosity Rover also took a couple of panoramas using the Mastcam camera
Earlier this week, NASACuriosity Mars’ rover took a photo with a selfie with the 20-meter-high “Mont Mercou” rock formation.
The selfie shows the rover with a rock band called “Mont Mercou”, a nickname taken from a mountain in France.
And while the photo is impressive on its own, it was actually taken to celebrate the 30th test of curiosity to date, after the rover drilled a hole in a nearby rock sample dubbed “Nontron ”.
Curiosity also made a couple of panoramas using his Mastcam on March 4th.
NASA explained: “By filming a panorama from about 40 meters from the outcrop, then rolling sideways and shooting another from the same distance, the rover created a stereoscopic effect similar to those seen in 3D viewfinders.
“Studying the outcrop from several angles helps scientists get a better idea of the 3D geometry of Mount Mercou’s sedimentary layers.”
Curiosity is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars and is part of the NASA Science Laboratory mission.
It launched from Earth on November 26, 2011 and landed on Mars almost a year later, on August 5, 2012.
The rover’s key mission is to reveal the mystery of whether or not Mars had the right conditions to support life.
NASA added: “At the beginning of its mission, Curiosity’s scientific instruments found chemical and mineral evidence of past living environments on Mars.
“He continues to explore the rock record from a time when Mars could have hosted microbial life.”