In May 2022, a marsquake was detected, and researchers have determined that it resulted from the release of significant tectonic forces within Mars’ interior. This discovery suggests that the planet may be more seismically active than previously believed. The marsquake, with a magnitude of 4.7 and causing vibrations that reverberated through the planet for approximately six hours, was recorded by NASA’s InSight lander on May 4. Initially, scientists from the University of Oxford, UK, thought this event, referred to as ‘S1222a,’ might have been caused by a meteoroid impact, given that its seismic signal resembled previous quakes linked to such impacts.
To investigate further, the research team launched an international search for a fresh crater resulting from the potential meteoroid impact. By analyzing the observations made by the InSight lander during its mission on Mars, they discovered that the largest two of the eight marsquake events recorded by the lander indeed formed craters approximately 150 meters in diameter. Importantly, all of these events were determined to be caused by meteoroid impacts.
This research sheds light on the dynamics of Mars’ geology and suggests that the planet’s seismic activity might be more intricate and active than initially thought, with both meteoroid impacts and tectonic forces contributing to its seismic events.
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