Science & Tech · Space · 6 hrs ago
Marsquake shows faults beneath Valles Marineris may still be active
Researchers traced a Mars quake to faults beneath Valles Marineris, the planet’s vast canyon system.
The event, recorded by NASA’s InSight lander on August 25, 2021, was caused by rocks slipping along fault lines deep in the crust.
Earlier studies placed the quake near the canyon, but its cause was unclear; models and satellite images helped the team rule out possible explanations such as an impact or landslide.
The finding suggests ancient Martian faults can still rupture under stress, even though Mars has no moving tectonic plates.
Valles Marineris is thought to have formed as forces pulled the crust apart billions of years ago, during a period of intense volcanic activity.
The results point to ongoing seismic activity on Mars and may help scientists look for similar activity on other worlds considered geologically inactive.
An analysis of a Mars quake recorded by NASA’s InSight lander indicates that faults beneath Valles Marineris may still be active.
The event, called S0976a, was caused by rocks slipping along fault lines deep within Mars’s crust, the study says.
The quake was recorded on August 25, 2021, and was the only marsquake detected by InSight in Mars’s western hemisphere.
Researchers said the findings suggest ancient faults can still rupture under stress.
The study was led by Jung-Hun Song of Imperial College London and published in Nature Communications.
- Who
- A research team led by Jung-Hun Song of Imperial College London analyzed the quake.
- What
- The team concluded that S0976a was caused by rocks slipping along fault lines beneath Valles Marineris.
- When
- August 25, 2021.
- Where
- Beneath Valles Marineris, on Mars.
- Why
- The study investigated the source of the marsquake and whether faults beneath the canyon remain active.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
NASA’s InSight lander recorded the S0976a marsquake.
Researchers analyzed the seismic data and examined satellite images, finding no evidence of an impact crater or landslides.
- Event
- S0976a
- Recorded
- August 25, 2021
- Location
- Beneath Valles Marineris, Mars
- Canyon length
- 3,900 km
- Canyon depth
- More than 9 km
What people are saying
Valles Marineris is one of the most spectacular geological structures anywhere in the Solar System, but until now we didn't know for certain that its faults are still active.