Seismic activity on Mars indicates tectonic activity that is similar to that on Earth. The NASA InSight probe detected earthquakes on Mars with an amplitude of up to 4 points.
During the ongoing study, the instrument recorded two types of earthquakes: those similar to those occurring on Earth and similar to lunar seismological phenomena. The strongest ones were similar to those on Earth, noted experts from the French Institute of Geophysics in Paris. These vibrations on Mars were called “marsquakes.”
The InSight probe landed in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars in November 2018. The device is designed to study the geological structure of Mars, for which it is equipped with a seismometer and other instruments. Already in February 2018, the first seismic tremors were discovered, associated both with plate activity and with the gradual cooling of the planet.
Scientists have concluded that a recently discovered subglacial lake on Mars can only exist if there is an additional source of heat on the planet, which could be volcanic activity, reports Geophysical Research Letters. Despite the fact that traces of volcanic eruptions have been found on Mars in the past, it is believed that the planet’s geological activity died out millions of years ago. However, new work suggests that some processes could likely be happening on Mars today.
In October 2020, the ExoMars-TGO probe found many large deposits of water in the equatorial regions of Mars. Most of them are hidden on the slopes of Olympus and other major Martian volcanoes.
“What’s interesting is that three similar equatorial regions with water concentrations ranging from 30% to 100% are located next to Martian volcanoes. We assume that these deposits were formed due to the fact that porous rocks that volcanoes ejected during ancient eruptions or contain water deposits, or protect the sediments located underneath them from evaporation into space,” said Alexey Malakhov, a member of the mission’s scientific team, at the Eleventh Moscow Symposium on the Study of the Solar System.