A powerful earthquake occurred on “dead” Mars. They searched for the cause for six months
Miscellaneous / / October 18, 2023
This required the cooperation of major space agencies, but the result baffled scientists.
May 4, 2022 InSight research vehicle recorded A 4.7 magnitude Martian earthquake is the most powerful ever observed on Mars. This event, designated S1222a, was five times stronger than the next strongest, and released energy equivalent to the sum of all other marsquakes in 5 years.
Since there is no active plate tectonics on Mars, it was believed that shocks of such force were simply impossible on the planet. Accordingly, scientists have put forward the version that S1222a was the result of an impact meteoroid on the surface, which is common on Mars. But judging by the power of the seismic waves, an impact of such force could create a crater at least 300 meters wide.
Scientists set out to find a new crater on the surface of Mars that would help them explain such a powerful shaking. To do this, it was necessary to use all orbital vehicles above the planet. Such a large-scale event required the cooperation of all agencies operating probes on the planet - NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), China National Space Agency (CNSA), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and United Arab Space Agency Emirates. (UAESA).
Each group researched data from its satellites in search of a new crater created after the earthquake or other evidence, such as a cloud of dust detected hours after the impact.
It took six months to comb the planet's territory, but in the end no suitable crater was found. As a result, the team concluded that the earthquake must have been caused by tectonic forces inside the Red Planet. This indicates that Mars is a much more seismically active world than previously thought. True, scientists still refuse to believe in this and are trying to explain everything differently.
We still think there is no active plate tectonics on Mars today, and that this event was likely caused by a stress release in the Martian crust. Such stresses are the result of billions of years of evolution, including cooling and shrinking of different parts of the planet at different rates. We still don't fully understand why some areas of the planet have higher voltages than others, but results like these help us conduct further research. One day, this information may help us understand where it will be safe for humans to live on Mars, and which areas are best avoided.
Benjamin Fernando
lead author of the study
Much of the data collected so far on Mars seismic activity indicates that that some activity is coming from a huge pair of crevices known as the Pits of Cerberus Fossae). Scientists believe that they may still contain active magma. However, Insight's data on the monstrous Marsquake indicates that the source of the tremors is far beyond the faults, in the southeast of the planet.
It seems that some other mysterious phenomenon is behind the powerful shock, and scientists have not yet come close to a logical explanation.
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