A quake on Mars showed its crust is thicker than Earth’s
Planetary scientists now know how thick the Martian crust is, thanks to the strongest Marsquake ever observed.
On typical, the crust is in between 42 and 56 kilometers thick, researchers report in a paper to seem in Geophysical Study Letters. That is roughly 70 % thicker than the typical continental crust on Earth.
The measurement was primarily based on information from NASA’s InSight lander, a stationary seismometer that recorded waves rippling by way of Mars’ interior for 4 Earth years. Final May perhaps, the whole planet shook with a magnitude four.7 quake that lasted a lot more than six hours (SN: five/13/22). “We have been truly fortunate that we got this quake,” says seismologist Doyeon Kim of ETH Zurich.
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InSight recorded seismic waves from the quake that circled Mars up to 3 instances. That let Kim and colleagues infer the crust thickness more than the complete planet.
Not only is the crust thicker than that of the Earth and the moon, but it is also inconsistent across the Red Planet, the group located. And that may possibly clarify a identified north-south elevation distinction on Mars.
Topological and gravity information from Mars orbiters have shown that the planet’s northern hemisphere is substantially reduced than the southern 1. Researchers had suspected that density may possibly play a portion: Probably the rocks that make up northern Mars have a various density than these of southern Mars.
But the crust is thinner in the northern hemisphere, Kim and colleagues located, so the rocks in each hemispheres most likely have the very same typical densities. That getting assists scientists narrow down the explanations for why the distinction exists in the initially spot.
Realizing the crust’s depth, the group also calculated that a lot of Mars’ internal heat most likely originates in the crust. Most of this heat comes from radioactive components such as potassium, uranium and thorium. An estimated 50 to 70 % of these components are most likely in the crust rather than the underlying mantle, laptop or computer simulations recommend. That supports the concept that components of Mars nevertheless have volcanic activity, contrary to a extended-held belief that the Red Planet is dead (SN: 11/three/22).
Citations
D. Kim et al. Worldwide crustal thickness revealed by surface waves orbiting Mars. Geophysical Study Letters. In press, 2023.
Lisa Grossman is the astronomy writer. She has a degree in astronomy from Cornell University and a graduate certificate in science writing from University of California, Santa Cruz. She lives close to Boston.
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