Planetary scientists now know how thick the Martian crust is, thanks to the strongest Marsquake ever observed.
On typical, the crust is involving 42 and 56 kilometers thick, researchers report in a paper to seem in Geophysical Investigation 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 via Mars’ interior for 4 Earth years. Final Might, the whole planet shook with a magnitude four.7 quake that lasted far more than six hours (SN: five/13/22). “We had 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 occasions. That let Kim and colleagues infer the crust thickness more than the entire 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 discovered. And that may possibly clarify a recognized north-south elevation distinction on Mars.
Topological and gravity information from Mars orbiters have shown that the planet’s northern hemisphere is substantially decrease than the southern 1. Researchers had suspected that density may possibly play a portion: Probably the rocks that make up northern Mars have a unique density than these of southern Mars.
But the crust is thinner in the northern hemisphere, Kim and colleagues discovered, so the rocks in each hemispheres likely have the identical typical densities. That acquiring aids scientists narrow down the explanations for why the distinction exists in the very first spot.
Realizing the crust’s depth, the group also calculated that a great deal of Mars’ internal heat 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 likely in the crust rather than the underlying mantle, laptop or computer simulations recommend. That supports the thought that components of Mars nevertheless have volcanic activity, contrary to a lengthy-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 Investigation 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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