Unveiling the Mystery: Massive Tectonic Events Behind Mars’ Largest Seismic Event

2023-10-18 22:17:18
Abu Dhabi: «Al Khaleej» An international research team of scientists from New York University Abu Dhabi and other organizations announced the results of unprecedented research into the source of the largest seismic event ever observed on the planet Mars, as they found that it resulted from massive tectonic events in the interior of the planet Mars. NASA’s InSight lander recorded the massive 4.7-magnitude earthquake on May 4, 2022, and since the seismic signal was similar to previous earthquakes caused by meteor impacts on Mars, the team believed that this event (which was recorded under the reference “S1222a”). ) was caused by a collision, and an international research project was launched to find the impact site. Due to the large area to be covered in the research, the team sought support from the European Space Agency, the Chinese National Space Agency, New York University Abu Dhabi, the Indian Space Research Agency, and the UAE Space Agency, and this project is believed to be the largest collaboration of its kind in the field of Mars research. Each group examined data from its satellites around Mars to look for a new crater or other sign of an external object impacting the planet — for example, the appearance of a dust cloud in the hours after an earthquake. After several months of searching, the team announced yesterday that it had not found a crater indicating a recent impact. Rather, internal events caused the earthquake. As a result, scientists are revising their estimates of the level of seismic activity on Mars. Lead researcher Benjamin Fernando from Oxford and Johns Hopkins Universities said: “This project represents a huge international effort to help solve the mystery of the S1222a tremor. We believe this is the first time that all the missions in Mars orbit have collaborated on a joint project, and I am extremely grateful to them all. “I hope that this project will constitute a model for fruitful international cooperation in space.” “This was a great opportunity for me to collaborate with the InSight team, as well as with individuals from other major companies,” said Dimitra Atri, head of the Mars Group at New York University Abu Dhabi, which is contributing data from the UAE’s Hope spacecraft. Missions dedicated to studying Mars. “We truly live in the golden age of Mars exploration.” The S1222a earthquake was one of the last events recorded by the InSight spacecraft before its mission ends in December 2022. The team now continues to harness discoveries and data from this study for ongoing and future research, including upcoming missions to the Moon, and to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.
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