In May, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) probe, Insight, which officially became inoperable Wednesday, detected an earthquake stronger than ever, according to a newly published study. The earthquake was five times more powerful than the previous highest measurement.
According to official data, the record-breaking earthquake had a magnitude of 4.7 and lasted for more than four hours – It can be read in a recent study published on the science news portal Live Science.
The geophysical phenomenon dated S1222a occurred on May 4, 2022 outside the tectonically active region called Cerberus Fossae.
The emitted seismic waves traversed the entire celestial body and identified layers of sedimentary and volcanic rock that may have been left behind by past impacts. The earthquake waves were still visible ten hours later.
Kudos to @employee @employee The team, earlier this year the Mars earthquake data was very impressive with a magnitude of 5, the largest ever recorded far from Earth… esp. Also suitable for people who live here in California. For data, what a great run. https://t.co/jPjEuEnZfC
– Rob Mayeda December 20, 2022
Furthermore, one of the two types of waves has so far only been seen on the planet after collisions, while the other has not even been detected before.
According to John Clinton of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and a member of the team, the energy of S1222a is equal to the combined energy of other previously detected Mars quakes. Although the event occurred about 2,000 kilometers from NASA’s InSight lander, it was still able to be documented.
The massive earthquake that shook Mars is five times more powerful than any other earthquake https://t.co/DOPXRi6oCZ
– Snoopy (TheSnoopySnoop) December 21, 2022
InSight has collected valuable data for researchers over the past three years. According to a statement from NASA on Wednesday, InSight’s ground control team is no longer able to communicate with the probe, leading to the conclusion that His solar cells died for good, so his mission is officially over.
The featured image shows the fourth planet in the solar system, Mars. (Source: MTI / EPA / ISRO)
