The largest recorded marsquake has recently been subject to scientific exploration, unraveling its causes and offering fresh insights into Mars’ geology and seismic activities. This critical understanding not only holds a foundational place in scientific knowledge but also influences future plans concerning Martian exploration.
A marsquake—or a Martian earthquake—refers to the seismic activity occurring on Mars. In 2022, scientists reported a significant marsquake of 4.7 magnitude. Initially, there was a suspicion that this marsquake resulted from a meteoroid impact due to similar seismic signals observed in past meteoroid-induced quakes.
Numerous space agencies, such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the European Space Agency, China National Space Administration, and the UAE Space Agency, embarked on a joint project. They aimed to identify a crater on Mars, assuming it could be attributed to the seismic event. However, their extensive search did not reveal any impact crater. Consequently, the marsquake was concluded to result from internal tectonic forces, implying that Mars holds increased seismic activity.
The scientists theorized that stresses accumulated within the Martian crust over billions of years led to the marsquake. These stresses evolve due to differential cooling and shrinking rates occurring in the planet’s various regions. This discovery bears considerable implications for future Mars explorations as it aids in selecting safe landing sites and areas that astronauts should avoid.
The Major Characteristics of Mars
Mars, named after the Roman God of war, holds the fourth position from the Sun in our solar system. Often referred to as the “Red Planet,” Mars gets its unique reddish appearance primarily due to iron oxide, or rust, present in substantial quantities in its rocks and soil.
As the second smallest planet in the solar system, after Mercury, Mars is approximately half the size of Earth with a diameter of nearly 6,791 kilometers. Mars boasts two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and is home to Olympus Mons, our solar system’s tallest volcano.
The planet experiences extreme temperature variations due to its considerable distance from the Sun. Equatorial temperatures reach around 20°C, whereas the polar regions can plunge to -140°C. Mars’ day spans 24 hours and 37 minutes, slightly longer than an Earth day. However, its year lasts twice as long as ours, requiring 687 Earth days to complete one orbit around the Sun.
Exploring Mars: Noteworthy Missions
Over the years, several missions have aimed to explore and understand Mars better. Some of the most notable include India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), or Mangalyaan (2013), European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover (2021), China’s Tianwen-1 Mars Mission (2021), and UAE’s Hope Mars Mission, the UAE’s inaugural interplanetary mission (2021).
Additionally, the Soviet Union launched Mars 2 and Mars 3 in 1971. Through these missions, scientists have been able to gather considerable data about this intriguing planet, leading to increasingly thorough and accurate knowledge about Mars. It’s critical to note that each successful Mars mission has not just provided useful information for future explorations, but also contributed remarkably to our understanding of the universe.