NASA's InSight lander detects largest quake on Mars-Xinhua

NASA's InSight lander detects largest quake on Mars

Source: Xinhua| 2022-05-10 17:03:01|Editor:

LOS ANGELES, May 10 (Xinhua) -- NASA's InSight Mars lander has detected the largest quake ever observed on another planet, NASA said on Monday.

An estimated magnitude 5 quake was detected by InSight lander on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day of its mission.

This adds to the catalog of more than 1,313 quakes InSight has detected since landing on Mars in November 2018, according to NASA.

InSight was sent to Mars with a highly sensitive seismometer 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.

By learning about the structure of Mars, scientists can better understand the formation of all rocky worlds, including Earth and its Moon, said NASA.

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