A sensitive seismometer on NASA's InSight lander captures even the faintest marsquakes.
NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander was launched in 2018 to peer deep inside Mars and gain important information about the planet's structure and formation.It is equipped with a sensitive seismometer that records the vibrations of the Red Planet.
By recording how they are reflected and change direction, InSight has helped scientists map the location of Mars' crust, mantle and core.Recently, an unusual series of vibrations has provided planetary scientists with more data.
In a new paper published in Geophysical Research Letters, scientists talk about one of the largest seismic events recorded on Mars and what the spacecraft recordedFor the first time, planetary scientists have observed pressure waves (P-waves) that reached the lower mantle at a depth of more than 800 km, where they underwent diffrage.
P-waves are elastic longitudinal waves that causeoscillations of elementary particles of an elastic medium in the direction of wave propagation and creating volumetric compression-tension deformations in the medium. The fastest among body waves, therefore they are called “P-waves” from the Latin “prima” - primary.
After analyzing the vibrations, the authors cameto the conclusion that it was caused by an asteroid impact. It fell near the Martian volcanic plateau of Tharsis, on the opposite side of the planet from InSight. The scientists' conclusions are consistent with satellite images that show the location of the impact.
The depth of vibrations helped researchersdetermine the structure of the lower mantle of Mars in more detail. They found that the lower mantle is more variable in both temperature and composition than previous seismic models had predicted. However, more data will be needed to understand exactly how the thermal and chemical composition of the lower mantle is changing and why.
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On the cover:This cross-sectional image shows the backside of a meteorite impact observed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the paths of seismic waves through the mantle detected by the InSight seismic station. Courtesy: Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris/Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales/N. Starter