Scientists have conducted new studies that suggest the core of Mars may appear larger than its actual size due to the presence of an previously unknown layer of molten rock surrounding it.
These studies are believed to provide a solution to a mystery from two years ago when the center of Mars was observed to be surprisingly large and soft.
To conduct these studies, a team of scientists analyzed seismic waves on Mars using sensors on NASA’s InSight lander, which landed on the Red Planet in 2018.
Their goal was to gain insights into the planet’s internal structure by studying the seismic waves generated when a meteorite struck Mars in September 2021.
The findings from these studies were reported in two papers published on October 26 in the journal Nature. The researchers discovered the existence of a layer of molten rock that surrounds Mars’s liquid-metal core.
The report explains that seismic waves, whether generated by earthquakes or impacts, can change their speed depending on the materials they pass through. Seismologists can use these changes to understand the composition of a planet’s interior.
Researchers employed a similar technique on Earth to study the layers of our planet, which include a brittle outer crust, a mostly solid mantle, a liquid outer core, and a solid inner core.
Since its landing on Mars, InSight’s seismometer has recorded numerous observations of Marsquakes and was the first to detect them.
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