NASA records biggest ever 'Monster quake' on Mars, estimated to be magnitude 5
Highlights
- NASA recorded the biggest ever mars quake, terming at as 'Monster quake'.
- The magnitude of the quake is estimated to be 5.
- The largest previously recorded quake was an estimated magnitude 4.2 detected in August, 2021.
NASA recorded the biggest ever mars quake, terming at as 'Monster quake'. The magnitude of the quake is estimated to be 5. It was recorded on May 4, 2022. The largest previously recorded quake was an estimated magnitude 4.2 detected on August 25, 2021.
NASA InSight took to Twitter, and wrote, "After more than three years of listening to the soft rumbles of Mars, I just felt by far my biggest “marsquake” yet: looks like about magnitude 5. My team is studying the data to learn more. Science rewards patience!"
The quake was recorded when InSight was sent to Mars with a highly sensitive seismometer, provided by France’s Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), to study the deep interior of the planet.
A magnitude 5 quake is a medium-size quake compared to those felt on Earth, but it’s close to the upper limit of what scientists hoped to see on Mars during InSight’s mission.
“Since we set our seismometer down in December 2018, we’ve been waiting for ‘the big one,’” said Bruce Banerdt, InSight’s principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which leads the mission. “This quake is sure to provide a view into the planet like no other. Scientists will be analyzing this data to learn new things about Mars for years to come.”
(Inputs from nasa.gov)
