NASA’s groundbreaking discovery by its InSight lander has revealed that marsquakes caused by meteoroid impacts can penetrate deeper into Mars than previously believed. The finding comes from analyzing seismic waves from a newly formed impact crater, which challenges the current understanding of Mars’ interior structure and planetary formation.
Researchers compared seismic data from InSight with fresh impact craters spotted by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The studies confirmed that marsquakes can travel beyond the Martian crust and into the mantle. This discovery not only refines models of how Mars behaves but also provides critical insights for future planetary exploration and potential human missions.
The latest finding is based on a recent meteoroid impact near Cerberus Fossae, one of Mars’ most quake-prone regions. The impact created a 71-foot crater, but the seismic waves from this event traveled much deeper than anticipated. Instead of being dampened by Mars’ crust, the waves took a more direct route through the mantle.
This unexpected behavior suggests that Mars’ mantle structure may be different from previous models, which could have profound implications for understanding how Mars evolved over billions of years. The discovery also challenges earlier assumptions about how seismic waves travel through Mars’ interior.
To analyze the impact crater and its connection to the marsquake, researchers used artificial intelligence (AI). A machine learning algorithm rapidly scanned images for signs of recent impacts, narrowing down potential impact sites to a handful of images that scientists then manually verified. This technique is revolutionizing how researchers track planetary changes and refine seismic models for Mars.
The implications of this discovery extend beyond Mars. Understanding how seismic waves travel through a planet’s mantle helps scientists refine models for how rocky planets form and evolve, including Earth, the Moon, and exoplanets. The finding also has significant implications for future human missions to Mars, as it could help predict impact-induced quakes and improve the design of structures that can withstand such activity.
As researchers continue to analyze InSight’s data, they expect to refine how we distinguish between marsquakes caused by internal planetary forces versus external meteoroid impacts. The discovery highlights NASA’s entry into the big data era of planetary science, where AI tools are becoming essential for processing and analyzing vast amounts of data from Mars and beyond.
Source: https://indiandefencereview.com/nasas-insight-mars-meteoroid-impact-deeper