NASA’s InSight lander detects largest ever Marsquake

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Last Updated16/05/2022

NASA has reported that its InSight Mars lander has detected the largest quake ever observed on another planet.
The rover first landed on Mars in November 2018, and has since heard 1,313 quakes.
The largest previously recorded “marsquake” was detected in August 2021.

On Earth, quakes are caused by shifts in tectonic plates.
Mars, however, does not have tectonic plates, and its crust is a giant plate.
Therefore, ‘marsquakes’ are caused due to stresses that cause rock fractures or faults in its crust.
Significance: This quake is sure to provide a view into the planet like no other.
Scientists will be analysing this data to learn new things about Mars for years to come.

It is studying the composition of Mars , how its material is layered, and how much heat seeps out of it.
Importance: Earth and Mars used to be similar warm, wet and shrouded in thick atmospheres before they took different paths 3-4 billion years ago.
Mars stopped changing, while Earth continued to evolve.
With InSight, scientists hope to compare Earth and Mars, and better understand how a planet’s starting materials make it more or less likely to support life.

Prelims Takeaway