Mars was rocked by a strong earthquake last week. The quake had a magnitude of 5.0, making it the most powerful tremor ever recorded on another planet.
The quake was measured by the US Marslander Insight spacecraft on May 4. InSight landed on Mars in 2018 and has since recorded more than 1,300 earthquakes. Until last week, the strongest earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 occurred in August last year.
NASA He spoke of a “monster earthquake”. The space agency has not been able to determine exactly where the quake occurred and what caused the tremor. Further research should clarify this point.
The earthquake on Mars could not be stronger than the last. That’s because Mars, unlike Earth, has no moving plates that can cause vibrations. Earthquakes are caused by volcanic activity on the surface of Mars.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded on Earth had a magnitude of 9.6. It happened in 1960 in the province of Valdivia, Chile. The strongest earthquake ever recorded in the Netherlands was measured in 1992 at Roermond and had a magnitude of 5.8.
By analyzing earthquakes on Mars, scientists hope to learn more about the planet’s internal structure.
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