Space & Astronomy

Eerie rumbles are coming from Mars' interior

By T.K. Randall
April 2, 2021 ·  7 comments

Insight's seismometer instrument. Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech The space probe, which landed on Mars back in November 2018, uses a special dome-shaped device deployed on the planet's surface to listen out for signs of seismic activity.

Known as the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), the device is incredibly sensitive to the point where it has to be protected from the elements to ensure that it keeps working properly.

This latest detection comes during a time when calmer winds have made it easier to pick things up.Seismic activity on Mars is often referred to as a Marsquake, however the Red Planet does not have the same tectonic plate system as the Earth, so the quakes are not caused by the same processes.

The precise source of these seismic events in fact continues to remain something of a mystery - all we know is that something has caused a sudden release of energy in the planet's interior.

The most recent quakes seem to be centered around a region of Mars known as Cerberus Fossae which is also the site of several other quakes that have been picked up in the past.

Further studies will no doubt be needed to find a definitive explanation for the phenomenon.

Source: Sky News | Comments (7)

Tags: Mars