marsquake
{{short description|Seismic event occurring on Mars}}
Image:Earthquake wave shadow zone.svg for Earth. S-waves don't penetrate the outer core]]
A marsquake is a quake which, much like an earthquake, is a shaking of the surface or interior of the planet Mars. Such quakes may occur with a shift in the planet's interior, such as the result of plate tectonics, from which most quakes on Earth originate, or possibly from hotspots such as Olympus Mons or the Tharsis Montes. The detection and analysis of marsquakes are informative to probing the interior structure of Mars, as well as potentially identifying whether any of Mars's many volcanoes continue to be volcanically active.{{cite news |last=Kornei |first=Katherine |title=Bouncing Boulders Point to Quakes on Mars – A preponderance of boulder tracks on the red planet may be evidence of recent seismic activity. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/22/science/mars-boulders-earthquakes.html |date=22 January 2022 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=22 January 2022 }}
Quakes have been observed and well-documented on the Moon, and there is evidence of past quakes on Venus. Marsquakes were first detected but not confirmed by the Viking mission in 1976.{{Cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=Don L. |last2=Miller |first2=W. F. |last3=Latham |first3=G. V. |last4=Nakamura |first4=Y. |last5=Toksoz |first5=M. N. |last6=Dainty |first6=M. N. |last7=Duennebier |first7=F. K. |last8=Lazarewicz |first8=A. R. |last9=Kovach |first9=R. L. |last10=Knight |first10=T. C. D. |date=September 30, 1977 |title=Seismology on Mars |url=https://doi.org/10.1029/JS082i028p04524 |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |volume=82 |issue=28 |pages=22 |doi=10.1029/JS082i028p04524 |bibcode=1977JGR....82.4524A |via=American Geophysical Union}} Marsquakes were detected and confirmed by the InSight mission in 2019.{{Cite web|last=Greicius|first=Tony|date=2021-04-01|title=NASA's InSight Detects Two Sizable Quakes on Mars|url=http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-insight-detects-two-sizable-quakes-on-mars|access-date=2021-07-24|website=NASA}} Using InSight data and analysis, the Viking marsquakes were confirmed in 2023.{{Cite journal |last=Lazarewicz |first=Andrew R. |date=10 July 2023 |title=Viking Marsquakes 1976 -- Seismic Archaeology |url=https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JE007660 |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets |volume=128 |issue=e2022JE007660 |pages=20 |doi=10.1029/2022JE007660 |bibcode=2023JGRE..12807660L |s2cid=259927674 |via=American Geophysical Union|url-access=subscription }} Compelling evidence has been found that Mars has in the past been seismically more active, with clear magnetic striping over a large region of southern Mars. Magnetic striping on Earth is often a sign of a region of particularly thin crust splitting and spreading, forming new land in the slowly separating rifts; a prime example of this being the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. However, no clear spreading ridge has been found in this region, suggesting that another, possibly non-seismic explanation may be needed.
The {{convert|4000|km|mi|abbr=on}} long canyon system, Valles Marineris, has been suggested to be the remnant of an ancient Martian strike-slip fault.{{cite journal |last1=Yin |first1=A. |title=Structural analysis of the Valles Marineris fault zone: Possible evidence for large-scale strike-slip faulting on Mars |journal=Lithosphere |date=4 June 2012 |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=286–330 |doi=10.1130/L192.1 |bibcode=2012Lsphe...4..286Y |doi-access=free }} The first confirmed seismic event emanating from Valles Marineris, a quake with a magnitude of 4.2, was detected by InSight on 25 August 2021, proving it to be an active fault.{{cite press release |url=http://spaceref.com/mars/two-largest-marsquakes-to-date-recorded-from-planets-far-side.html |title=Two Largest Marsquakes To Date Recorded From Planet's Far Side |work=Seismological Society of America |publisher=SpaceRef |date=26 April 2022 |access-date=26 April 2022}}
Detectability
File:PIA25282-MarsInSightLander-InsideMars-20220517.jpg
The first attempts to detect seismic activity on Mars were with the Viking program with two landers, Viking 1 & 2 in 1976, with seismometers mounted on top of the lander. The seismometer on the Viking 1 lander failed. The Viking 2 seismometer collected data for 2100 hours (89 days) of data over 560 sols of lander recorded.{{Cite journal |last1=Lorenz |first1=Ralph D. |last2=Nakamura |first2=Yosio |date=2013 |title=Viking Seismometer Record: Data Restoration and Dust Devil Search |url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2013/pdf/1178.pdf |journal=44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2013) |issue=1719 |pages=1178 |bibcode=2013LPI....44.1178L |access-date=2019-04-24}}
Viking 2 recorded two possible marsquakes on Sol 53 (daytime during windy period) and Sol 80 (nighttime during low wind period). Due to the inability to separate ground motion from wind-driven lander vibrations and the lack of other collaborating possible marsquakes, the Sol 53 and Sol 80 events could not be confirmed during the Viking mission.{{cite news |last1=Greicius |first1=Tony |title='Marsquakes' Could Shake Up Planetary Science |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/marsquakes-could-shake-up-planetary-science |access-date=21 November 2018 |work=NASA |agency=Jet Propulsion Laboratory |publisher=NASA |date=28 March 2018 |language=en}} It was possible to rule out frequent and large marsquakes at that time.{{Cite journal |title=Viking-2 Seismometer Measurements on Mars: PDS Data Archive and Meteorological Applications |journal=Earth and Space Science |last1=Lorenz |first1=Ralph D. |last2=Nakamura |first2=Yosio |last3=Murphy |first3=James R. |volume=4 |issue=11 |pages=681–688 |date=November 2017 |doi=10.1002/2017EA000306 |bibcode=2017E&SS....4..681L|doi-access=free }} The low detection rate and evaluation when the windspeed was low at the Viking 2 site, allowed limits to be placed on seismic activity on Mars.{{Cite journal |last1=Goins |first1=N. R. |last2=Lazarewicz |first2=A. R. |date=May 1979 |title=Martian Seismicity |url=https://doi.org/10.1029/GL006i005p00368 |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |volume=6 |issue=7 |pages=3 |doi=10.1029/GL006i005p00368 |bibcode=1979GeoRL...6..368G |via=American Geophysical Union|url-access=subscription }}
In 2013, data from the InSight mission (see below) led to an increased interest in the Viking data set, and further analysis may reveal one of the largest collections of Mars dust devil detections. In 2023, a re-evaluation of Viking 2 using InSight data and analysis, and Viking wind data, confirmed that the two Viking events on Sol 53 and 80 were marsquakes.File:PIA23177-Mars-InSightLander-Seismometer-20190423.jpgThe InSight Mars lander, launched in May 2018, landed on Mars on 26 November 2018 and deployed a seismometer called Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) on 19 December 2018 to search for marsquakes and analyze Mars's internal structure. Even if no seismic events are detected, the seismometer is expected to be sensitive enough to detect possibly several dozen meteors causing airbursts in Mars's atmosphere per year, as well as meteorite impacts.{{cite journal |last1=Stevanović |first1=J. |last2=Teanby |first2=N. A. |last3=Wookey |first3=J. |last4=Selby |first4=N. |last5=Daubar |first5=I. J. |last6=Vaubaillon |first6=J. |last7=Garcia |first7=R. |title=Bolide Airbursts as a Seismic Source for the 2018 Mars InSight Mission |journal=Space Science Reviews |date=9 January 2017 |volume=211 |issue=1–4 |pages=525–545 |doi=10.1007/s11214-016-0327-3 |bibcode=2017SSRv..211..525S |s2cid=125102926 |url=https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/bolide-airbursts-as-a-seismic-source-for-the-2018-mars-insight-mission(c27d163e-d37b-468b-8dff-1ad0bba40b65).html }} It will also investigate how the Martian crust and mantle respond to the effects of meteorite impacts, which gives clues to the planet's inner structure.{{cite press release |url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-043 |title=NASA and French Space Agency Sign Agreement for Mars Mission |publisher=NASA |date=10 February 2014 |access-date=11 February 2014}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27651-listening-to-meteorites-hitting-mars-will-tell-us-whats-inside.html |title=Listening to meteorites hitting Mars will tell us what's inside |work=New Scientist |last=Boyle |first=Rebecca |date=4 June 2015 |access-date=5 June 2015}}{{cite thesis |url=http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/pls/portallive/docs/1/30451696.PDF |title=Design and development of a silicon micro-seismometer |publisher=Imperial College London |type=Ph.D. |first=Sunil |last=Kumar |date=1 September 2006 |access-date=15 July 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610201351/http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/pls/portallive/docs/1/30451696.PDF |url-status=dead }}File:PIA22320 – Cutaway of SEIS (Artist's Concept).jpg{{'s}} seismometer underneath the white windshield]]A faint seismic signal, believed to be a small marsquake, was measured and recorded by the InSight lander on 6 April 2019.{{cite news |last1=Witze |first1=Alexandra |title=First "Marsquake" Detected on Red Planet |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-marsquake-detected-on-red-planet1/ |access-date=25 April 2019 |work=Scientific American |date=24 April 2019 |language=en}} The lander's seismometer detected ground vibrations while three distinct kinds of sounds were recorded, according to NASA. Three other events were recorded on 14 March, 10 April, and 11 April, but these signals were even smaller and more ambiguous in origin, making it difficult to determine their cause.{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Dwayne |last2=Johnson |first2=Alana |last3=Good |first3=Andrew |title=NASA's InSight Detects First Likely 'Quake' on Mars |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7383 |date=23 April 2019 |work=NASA |access-date=23 April 2019 }}{{cite news |last=Bartels |first=Meghan |title=Marsquake! NASA's InSight Lander Feels Its 1st Red Planet Tremor |url=https://www.space.com/insight-mars-lander-first-marsquake.html |date=23 April 2019 |work=Space.com |access-date=23 April 2019 }}
File:PIA23344-Mars-SeismicWaveSimulation-ArtistConcept-20190722.gif
File:NASA-Mars-InSightLander-MarsQuake-Seismometer-AV-20190406.webm; Sol 128; 6 April 2019)
On 4 May 2022, a large marsquake, estimated at magnitude 5, was detected by the seismometer on the InSight lander.{{cite news |last1=Good |first1=Andrew |last2=Fox |first2=Karen |last3=Johnson |first3=Alana |title=NASA's InSight Records Monster Quake on Mars |url=https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9185/nasas-insight-records-monster-quake-on-mars/ |date=9 May 2022 |work=NASA |accessdate=10 May 2022 }} In October 2023 the results of a collaborative international project to scan the surface of Mars for a new impact crater created at the time of the 4 May 2022 seismic event, known as S1222a, was published. It was estimated that a crater of at least 300m in diameter would be created to produce the seismic waves, which reverberated round the planet for six hours. The survey of satellite images from five different orbiters concluded that the event was not the result of an impact event.{{Cite web |title=Source of largest ever Mars quake revealed |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231017123412.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018191606/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231017123412.htm |archive-date=18 October 2023 |access-date=23 October 2023 |website=ScienceDaily |language=en}}
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