Five on the Richter scale on Mars. What do earthquakes mean on the red planet?

For many years, Mars looked like a calm and extinct planet. The situation changed after 2018, when the InSight probe landed a seismograph on the surface of Mars.

To this limit More than 1,300 tremors were recorded, the largest of which was on May 4, 2022. It was 5 on the Richter scale. The largest previously recorded earthquake on Mars was an estimated 4.2 on the Richter scale last August.

An earthquake on Mars opens up new possibilities for us about what happens below the surface of Mars. We are learning that this planet is not cold. The lack of a magnetic field, which suggests that there is no liquid core, is not the end of the topic. Modern theories say that there are very shallow magma fields in the crust of Mars that cause earthquakes on Mars – Comments by astronomer Dr. Błaszkiewicz from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.

A highly sensitive seismograph was provided by the French National Center for Space Research (CNES) to investigate the depths of the planet’s interior. When seismic waves travel through or reflect off the material of Mars’ crust, mantle, and core, they change the way seismologists can study the depth and composition of these layers. What scientists are learning about the structure of Mars may help them better understand the composition of not only Mars itself, but also the composition of Earth and the Moon.

The aforementioned earthquake with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale is not a strong shock compared to those on Earth. Scientists will now investigate the exact location and cause of this earthquake.