On the 4rth of may, NASA's InSight Mars Lander measured a record-breaking 'Mars quake' with an estimated magnitude of 5.0 using its onboard seismic instrument. It was the largest quake the lander has encountered since its landing on the red planet in 2018 and the largest ever detected on another planet.
The recent marsquake may be among the largest quakes possible on the red planet - (Image Credit: Vadim Sadovski / HDR tune by Universal-Sci)
The largest ever marsquake
During its three and a half year stay on Mars, Insight has registered over 1300 mars quakes. The latest detection now tops that list. The previous record quake came in with an estimated magnitude of 4.2 detected back in 2021.
NASA speaks of a "monster quake". The space agency is not yet able to say exactly where the quake occurred and what caused the vibrations. Further research should clarify this.
Quakes on Mars probably can't get much more substantial than this one as Mars, unlike Earth, has no moving plates that can cause tremors. Researchers have evidence indicating that marsquakes may instead be caused by volcanic activity.
The spectrogram with clear indication of the largest ever marsquake - (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/ETH Zurich)
Earth's strongest earthquake
To put these martian numbers into perspective, the largest earthquake ever recorded on our home planet had a magnitude of 9.6. Keep in mind that an increase of one whole number in magnitude conveys a tenfold increase in measured amplitude as measured on a seismogram.
It took place in 1960 in the Chilean province of Valdivia. The largest earthquake ever detected in the United States occurred in 1964 in Alaska and had a magnitude of 9.2
By analyzing marsquakes, scientists hope to learn more about the planet's internal makeup.
Sources and further reading:
Earthquake Magnitude, Energy Release, and Shaking Intensity - (USGS)
How to generate oxygen on Mars? - (Universal-Sci)
How to produce rocket fuel on Mars? - (Universal-Sci)
Where did the water from Mars' ancient rivers and lakes go? - (Universal-Sci)
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