Reuters, WASHINGTON – Scientists are reevaluating the structure of Earth’s planetary neighbour as a result of new insights into the deep interior of Mars offered by seismic waves produced by a meteorite impact on the opposite side of the planet from where NASA’s InSight lander is positioned.
Researchers announced on Wednesday that fresh seismic data suggests the existence of a previously unidentified layer of molten rock encircling a smaller and denser liquid metallic core, the planet’s deepest component.
Waves produced by earthquakes, particularly those brought on by meteorite strikes, change form and speed as they pass through various materials within a planet. Seismometer data from InSight have helped to clarify the planet’s interior structure.
On September 18, 2021, a meteorite impact in the Tempe Terra region of the Martian highlands caused a magnitude 4.2 earthquake and produced a crater that was roughly 425 feet (130 metres) broad. It took place in the Elysium Planitia plains, on the other side of Mars from where InSight is positioned.