Science. <\/em><\/p>\nWhat do seismic wave patterns reveal about the Martian crust?<\/h3>\n Atypical characteristics in the quake readings led the researchers to suspect its source was near the surface, so they contacted colleagues who were working with a probe orbiting Mars. Images taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in late December 2021, showed a large impact crater about 3,500 kilometres from InSight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe location was a good match with our estimates for the source of the quake,\u201d said Doyeon Kim, a Geophysicist and senior research scientist at ETH Zurich\u2019s Institute of Geophysics.<\/p>\n
The researchers were also able to pinpoint a meteorite impact at just under 7,500km (about 5,000 miles) from InSight as the source of a second atypical quake.<\/p>\n
Because the hypocentre of each earthquake was at the surface, they generated not only seismic waves similar to previously recorded marsquakes in which the hypocentres were at greater depth, but also waves that propagated along the planet\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first-time seismic surface waves have been observed on a planet other than Earth. Not even the Apollo missions to the Moon managed it,\u201d Kim stated.<\/p>\n
What makes the seismic surface waves so important to researchers is that they provide information about the structure of the Martian crust. Seismic body waves, which travel through the planet\u2019s interior during a quake, have so far provided insights into Mars\u2019s core and mantle, but have revealed little about the crust away from the lander itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil now, our knowledge of the Martian crust has been based on only a single point measurement under the InSight lander,\u201d Kim explained.<\/p>\n
The results of the wave analysis were surprising because the Martian crust between the impact sites and InSight\u2019s seismometer usually has a very uniform structure and high density. However, the researchers detected three layers of crust, which implied a lower density.<\/p>\n
Explaining the greater seismic velocity<\/h3>\n These new findings are remarkable because a planet\u2019s crust provides important clues about how that planet formed and evolved. Since the crust itself is the result of early dynamic processes in the mantle and subsequent magmatic processes, it can tell us about conditions billions of years ago and the timeline of impacts, which were particularly common in Mars\u2019 early days.<\/p>\n
Explaining how the new measurement was made, Kim said: \u201cThe speed at which surface waves propagate depends on their frequency, which in turn depends on their depth.”<\/p>\n
By measuring changes in velocity in the seismic data across different frequencies, it is possible to infer how the velocity changes at different depths because each frequency is sensitive to different depths.<\/p>\n
This provides the basis for estimating the average density of the rock, because the seismic velocity also depends on the elastic properties of the material through which the waves travel. This data allowed the researchers to determine the structure of the crust at depths of between 5-30km below the surface of Mars.<\/p>\n
The researchers aimed to answer a number of questions about the average speed of the seismic waves: Why was the average speed of the recently observed surface waves considerably higher than would be expected, based on the earlier point measurement under the Mars InSight lander? Is this mainly due to the surface rock, or are other mechanisms in play?<\/p>\n
Generally, volcanic rocks exhibit higher seismic velocities than sedimentary rocks. Moreover, the paths between the two meteorite impacts and the measurement site pass through one of the largest volcanic regions in Mars\u2019 northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n
The team determined that this abnormality was due to lava flows and the closure of pore spaces from heat created by volcanic processes, as these factors can increase the velocity of seismic waves.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the other hand, the crustal structure beneath InSight\u2019s landing site may have been formed in a unique way, perhaps when material was ejected during a large meteoritic impact more than three billion years ago. That would mean the structure of the crust under the lander is probably not representative of the general structure of the Martian crust,\u201d Kim explained.<\/p>\n
Solving the mystery of the Mars dichotomy<\/h3>\n These new discoveries may help to solve a centuries-old mystery. Ever since the first telescopes were pointed at Mars, it has been known that a sharp contrast exists between the planet\u2019s southern and northern hemispheres.<\/p>\n
While the dominant feature of the southern hemisphere is a plateau covered by meteorite craters, the northern hemisphere consists mostly of flat, volcanic lowlands that may have been covered by oceans in the planet\u2019s early history.\u00a0This division into southern highlands and northern lowlands is known as the Mars dichotomy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs things stand, we don\u2019t yet have a generally accepted explanation for the dichotomy because we\u2019ve never been able to see the planet\u2019s deep structure. We\u2019re only now beginning to uncover this,\u201d said Domenico Giardini, Professor of Seismology and Geodynamics at ETH Zurich.<\/p>\n
The initial results appear to disprove one of the widespread theories for the Mars dichotomy \u2013 the crusts in the north and in the south are probably not composed of different materials, as has often been assumed \u2013 and their structure may be surprisingly similar at relevant depths.<\/p>\n
Could further results explain these anomalies?<\/h3>\n The ETH Zurich researchers are expecting further results soon. In May 2022, InSight observed the largest marsquake to date, with a magnitude of five. It also recorded seismic surface waves generated by this shallow event. This happened just in time, since the InSight mission will soon be coming to an end now that the lander\u2019s solar panels are covered in dust, and it is running out of power.<\/p>\n
An initial analysis of the data confirms the findings that the researchers obtained from the other two meteorite impacts. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy. We\u2019d been waiting for so long for these waves, and now, just months after the meteorite impacts, we observed this big quake that produced extremely rich seismic waves. These allow us to see even deeper into the crust, to a depth of about 90 kilometres\u201d, Kim concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Using the NASA InSight mission\u2019s seismometer, a research team have witnessed seismic waves travelling along Mars\u2019 surface for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":26796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[771],"tags":[809],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
What can seismic waves reveal about Mars\u2019 crust?<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n