NASA's Marsquake-Hunting Lander
Has detected its two largest seismic events to date — and on the far side of the planet, no less.
NASA's InSight Lander
Touched down on Mars in November 2018 carrying the most sensitive seismometer ever designed.
Since The Mission's Arrival
It has detected countless events dubbed marsquakes, using the signals to map the planet's interior. But the two newly announced quakes were something special,
Anna Horleston, A Seismologist
"Not only are they the largest and most distant events by a considerable margin, [the event dubbed] S1000a has a spectrum and duration unlike any other event previously observed,"
The First Seismic Event Called S0976a
Was of magnitude 4.2, occurred on Aug. 25, 2021 and originated in the Valles Marineris, a vast network of canyons that extends 2,500 miles
The Valles Marineris Is What Scientists
Call a graben system, a valley with distinct fault blocks that are relatively lower than the blocks on either side of them;