May 4th is known as Star Wars Day in sci-fi circles. On another planet, far, far away, the date is now known to one of its robotic inhabitants. That was the day the Mars InSight lander felt the strongest marsquake it had ever experienced. Since it arrived on Mars, the lander has detected 1,313 earthquakes. Scientists from InSight are analyzing the data to figure out what caused the earthquake on Mars.
Our planet is geologically active and we get earthquakes all the time. If one of the Big Island's volcanoes gets ready to erupt, it can experience upwards of 300 earthquakes a day. There are a lot of earthquakes in the Pacific due to plate motions and volcanic eruptions. There are many occurrences when geological faults snap or there is a sudden movement of one or more plates. The continents and oceans ride on top of the pieces of crust. There are 15 major plates. They shake at the surface when they jostle each other.
Evidence about how active our planet really is is provided by all this activity. In addition to earthquakes, we have mountain-building processes, volcanic activity, plate motions, and activity even deeper in the center of our planet. Studies of earthquakes give a way to get an idea of its structure.
Things are different on Mars. The Red Planet was thought to be geologically dead for a long time. The surface shows evidence of volcanism as well as the fact that the northern and southern hemispheres are very different in terms of cratering and average altitudes. The thickness of the crust varies between the two halves of the planet. The planet isn't completely dead. planetary scientists just don't know enough about the Martian interior
It's not clear why this dichotomy exists, and it's not clear what's happening inside Mars. It may have had a version of plate tectonics early on. There is no doubt about the existence of Marsquakes on the Red Planet. The detection and measurement of those earthquakes is what the InSight Lander was sent to do. It uses a very sensitive seismometer to detect them and show what's inside Mars. Every time a quake happens on Mars, the waves pass through the planet. They reflect off the various layers of the mantle as they travel. This is similar to how geologists use earthquake waves on Earth.
Since we set our seismometer down in December, we've been waiting for the big one. For years to come, scientists will be analyzing this data to learn more about Mars.
Scientists were taking in the latest Marsquake data and exploring what it might tell them, but InSight lander gave them some frightening news. It had been having problems with its solar panels. The power production is needed to keep the instruments running. The system went into safe mode when the power dropped so low. All unnecessary operations were suspended indefinitely by the landers. There is more dust in the air to settle on its solar panels when it is facing Martian winter. That filters the sunlight needed to replenish the batteries. As winter progresses, shutting down is the best way to protect the lander and its instruments.
Scientists at InSight have a lot of data to study. They will learn more about the structure of the Red Planet and other rocky planets in the solar system.
For more information.
Mars Insight Mission
Marsquake press release.
500 earthquakes were recorded in one full year.
The geology of the landing site on Mars.
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