NASA’s InSight terrifiers have detected mysterious rumors known as “Marsquakes,” which offer clues about volcanic activity beneath the surface of the red planet.
The tremors originated in a region called Cerberus Fossae, an area where NASA scientists have begun significant seismic activity and even landslides.
They we believe that the tremors were probably caused by a sudden release of energy beneath the planet’s surface, bBecause Mars does not have tectonic plates like Earth, the exact cause and origins of the rumors remain unknown.
The quakes were picked up by the InSight seismometer, a device on board specially built to capture Marsquakes.
Using its robotic arm, InSight has partially buried the seismometer to protect it from strong seasonal winds and allow for more accurate readings.
NASA’s InSight has detected two major earthquakes on Mars in a region called Cerberus Fossae, supporting the idea that this location is seismically active
Representation of an InSight lander artist operating on the surface of Mars. He is supporting various missions around the red planet
The area where the earthquakes were detected (Cerberus Fossae) is an area of steep slopes cut into volcanic plains where active landslides were photographed in 2019.
Interestingly, the earthquakes occurred almost exactly one Martian year (or two years from Earth) after two previous earthquakes were detected in the same area.
InSight has recorded more than 500 earthquakes to date, but because of their clear signals, those four were the best earthquake records to probe the planet’s interior, NASA said in a statement announcing the earthquakes.
Taichi Kawamura, of the Institute of Globe Physics in Paris, France, which supports NASA’s mission, said the earthquakes added to the scientists’ understanding of the planet’s volcanic activity.
“Throughout the mission, we’ve seen two different types of earthquakes: one more‘ Moon-like ’and the other more‘ Earth-like ’, he said.
Earthquake waves travel more directly across the planet, while earthquake waves tend to be very scattered, Kawamura said.
Earthquakes fall somewhere in between.
Interestingly, these four largest earthquakes, which come from Cerberus Fossae, are “Earth-like.”
InSight was launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in May 2018, and touched down on Mars in November of that year with the mission of making the planet its first comprehensive overhaul since formed 4.5 billion years ago.
It works in conjunction with several missions orbiting Mars and orbiting the planet’s surface: including the Curiosity rover.
InSight’s ability to adapt to the incredibly harsh conditions of the planet has given an effort to get more accurate data.
It regularly faces extreme temperature fluctuations (from minus 148 Fahrenheit at night to 32 Fahrenheit) and fierce seasonal winds.
The Martian summer was expected to bring a calmer climate, facilitating the detection of other earthquakes.
In order to record more accurate data, the InSight lander has begun using a ball in the robotic arm to place earth on the cable that connects its seismometer (called the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SIX)) to the ship spatial.
“This allows the ground to get as close as possible to the shield 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 magnitude 3.6 and 3.5 earthquakes detected in the same region.
So far InSight has recorded more than 500 earthquakes, but due to their clear signals, these are four of the best earthquake records to probe the interior of the planet.
Since arriving in November 2018, the InSight lander has worked with several missions orbiting Mars and traversing the planet’s surface: including the Curiosity rover
In 2019, NASA collected evidence of active landslides on Cerberus Fossae, a set of troughs cut into volcanic plains on Mars
The Curiosity rover also took a couple of panoramas with its Mastcam camera
Earlier this week, NASAThe Curiosity Mars rover took a photo of himself with a selfie with the 20-foot-tall ‘Mont Mercou’ rock formation.
The selfie shows the rover next to a rock formation called “Mont Mercou”, a nickname taken from a mountain in France.
And while the photo is stunning on its own, it was actually made to celebrate Curiosity’s 30th show to date, after the rover drilled a hole in a nearby rock show nicknamed “Nontron”.
Curiosity also took a couple of panoramic views with its Mastcam on March 4th.
NASA explained: “By shooting a panorama about 40 meters away from the outcrop, then rolling to the side and shooting another from the same distance, the rover created a stereoscopic effect similar to those seen in 3D viewers.
“Studying the outcrop from more than one angle helps scientists get a better idea of the 3D geometry of the sedimentary layers of Mount Mercou.”
Curiosity is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars and is part of NASA’s Mars 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 unravel the mystery of whether or not Mars had the right conditions to sustain life.
NASA added: “At the beginning of its mission, Curiosity ‘s scientific tools found chemical and mineral evidence of the habitable environments of the past on Mars.
“He continues to explore the rock record of a time when Mars could have been home to microbial life.”