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Record-breaking earthquakes have been recorded on Mars. They were 5 times stronger than previous ones!
The InSight lander’s seismometers recorded the two strongest earthquakes on the Red Planet to date. Their magnitudes were 4.2 and 4.1, respectively.
It was not only in this respect that the newly detected shocks were so unusual. Another of their distinguishing features was their location. They appeared to come from the distant — from the lander’s perspective — side of Mars. The strength of the quakes was so great that they were thought to be about five times stronger than those previously considered record-breaking. Scientists associated with the discovery presented their findings in The Seismic Record.
The tremor, designated S0976a, appeared to originate from Valles Marineris, a network of canyons where there were already indications of potential seismic activity. This was indicated by photographs taken from orbit, which showed faults and landslides. However, these were only speculations, and with the new findings, scientists have gained certainty. Especially since the quakes were two and occurred over a 24-day period.
