Here's the interplanetary news you need to know: Earthquakes on planet Mars!

Photo courtesy: NASA

New Delhi: Earthquakes are a common phenomenon on the Earth's surface. Do you know that Mars too observes disturbance on its crust layer on the outer surface? In a recent development, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Insight Lander has detected two large seismic tremors on the surface of Mars. The intensity of these tremors is measured at 3.3 and 3.1 on the Richter scale. Scientists have given it the name of Markquake. According to the reports, the Insight lander has experienced at least 500 earthquakes on the surface of Mars, but data for two of these have been captured.

Scientists say that unlike earthquakes on Earth or the Moon, Marsquake neither travels directly from the source through the planet nor does it scatter. Rather these two categories remain in between. NASA has detected several earthquakes on Mars in March this year through the Inside Lander launched on 5 May 2018. With this, NASA has also received new data to study its geomorphology and seismic activity.

The earthquake data found on Mars have also strengthened the concept of scientists which is known as Cerbus fossae. According to this, the shapes formed by volcanic eruptions on the surface of Mars are also active seismic zones. It is being told that the Insight lander has recorded more than 500 earthquake tremors on Mars during its three years of activity.

Insight Lander found two earthquakes in March and recorded two earthquake tremors of 3.3 Richter Scale on 7 March and 3.1 Richter Scale on 18 March. It is generally not easy to capture such clear seismic data on Mars. Most of the time on this red planet, winds are moving at a high speed. Due to which many times earthquake data fly away. NASA last got clear information about seismic activity at the North Pole of Mars two years ago.

NASA's Insight Lander has been successful in recording clear data on two seismic signals, three years after it may have revealed big about Mars. Dr Taichi Kawamura, a researcher at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, pointed out another distinguishing feature of the large marsquake recorded via the lander. They reported that they resembled earthquakes that travel directly from the source through the surface of the planet.