NASA Mars lander discovers 'seismic highway' as planet rocked by hundreds of 'Marsquakes’

NASA Scientists have uncovered surprising new details about Mars, revealing that impacts from space rocks are creating “Marsquakes” that travel much deeper into the planet than previously thought.

New research based on data collected by a robot on Mars has shown that meteoroids, or small asteroids, are triggering seismic waves that penetrate far below the planet’s surface.

Using artificial intelligence (AI), NASA scientists have even discovered a fresh crater made by one of these impacts. These findings have challenged existing views, suggesting seismic signals can reach deeper into the Red Planet than first thought.

This so-called “seismic-highway” is allowing waves from quakes to travel vast distances, suggesting that Mars’ interior may be more complex than ever realised.

NASA Mars said on X, previously known as Twitter: “Seismic data from InSight is changing the way we study Mars’ interior.

“After comparing marsquake data and impact crater images from orbit, researchers found that shaking caused by impacts penetrates deeper than previously thought.”

NASA’s InSight Lander was the robotic explorer to study the inner layers of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core. It was launched in May 2018 and was retired in December 2022 when the lander ran out of power. The lander set the first seismometer on Mars, detecting more than 1,300 marsquakes, which are produced by shaking deep inside the planet and by rocks hitting its surface.

“We used to think the energy detected from the vast majority of seismic events was stuck traveling within the Martian crust,” said Constantinos Charalambous from Imperial College London. “This finding shows a deeper, faster path – call it a seismic highway – through the mantle, allowing quakes to reach