NASA’s InSight Mars lander detects biggest marsquake yet

The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) Mars lander recently detected a marsquake of magnitude 5 - the biggest ever detected on another planet. The quake occurred on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission, NASA said on Monday.

According to the agency, the largest previously recorded quake was an estimated magnitude 4. detected on August 25, 2021. The quake adds to the catalog of over 1,313 quakes the InSight Mars lander has detected since landing on Mars in November 2018.

Felt that one‼️After more than three years of listening to the soft rumbles of Mars, I just felt by far my biggest “marsquake” yet: looks like about magnitude 5. My team is studying the data to learn more. Science rewards patience! More details: https://t.co/DKVy8tUrxU pic.twitter.com/bExr13Lkvw

— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) May 9, 2022

Scientists will now study this new magnitude 5 quake - a medium-size quake compared to those felt on Earth - further before being able to provide details such as its location, the nature of its source, and what it might tell us about the interior of the Red Planet.

Part of NASA's Discovery Program, the InSight Mars lander was sent to the planet with a highly sensitive seismometer, provided by France's Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), to study the deep interior of the planet. As seismic waves pass through or reflect off material in Mars' crust, mantle, and core, they change in ways that seismologists can study to determine the depth and composition of these layers.

Insight completed its prime mission at the end of 2020 and now the lander is on an extended mission through December 2022. The extended mission will continue the lander's seismic and weather monitoring if the spacecraft remains healthy. Due to dust accumulation on its solar panels, the lander's electrical power production is dropping.

More information can be found here.