Meteorites hitting Mars every day are revealing new information about the frequency of impacts thanks to seismic data collected by NASA’s InSight lander. Analyzing this data, an international team of researchers found that InSight’s SEIS seismometer detected six nearby seismic events, all of which were linked to an atmospheric acoustic signal typical of meteorites.
These events have been identified as a new class of earthquakes, known as very high frequency (VF) events. The impacts that generate VF earthquakes occur in a fraction of a second, much more rapidly than earthquakes caused by tectonic processes.
A new way to study Mars
For the first time, seismic data have been used to determine the frequency of impact crater formation on the red planet. According to the researchers, “While we cannot definitively rule out a non-impact origin for every VF event, we demonstrate that the VF class as a whole is plausibly caused by meteorite impacts.”
Traditionally, the rate of meteorite impacts on Mars has been estimated by comparing the frequency of craters on its surface with that expected based on lunar craters. However, Mars is particularly prone to meteorite impacts, being located near the asteroid belt and having a greater mass and gravity than the Moon.
The implications of VF earthquakes
Seismic events detected by SEIS have revealed that meteorites hit Mars at speeds greater than 3,000 meters per second. This led to the creation of the VF classification for these impacts. Using images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), researchers confirmed the presence of new craters at the locations of seismic events detected by SEIS.
With this data, it was possible to estimate the frequency of these earthquakes, calculating that between 280 and 360 VF events occur each year. The ability to predict these impacts could one day help protect future space missions and, perhaps, astronauts on Mars.
These meteorite impacts not only provide information about the age of the planet’s surface, but could also help determine the periods when meteorite hazards are highest, improving safety for future exploration.
What do you think?
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