Scientists at Columbia University and Imperial College London have discovered that Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system in the solar system, remains tectonically active today. New research published in Nature Communications presents direct seismic evidence that a marsquake detected by NASA's InSight lander originated 20 to 40 kilometers beneath the canyon, caused by rocks slipping along a deep fault. The findings demonstrate that ancient geological faults can remain weak and rupture even on planetary bodies without moving tectonic plates.
The study, led by Jung-Hun Song from Imperial's Department of Earth Science and Engineering, analyzed the S0976a marsquake recorded on August 25, 2021. This event was unusual as it originated from the opposite side of Mars and was the only marsquake located in the planet's western hemisphere. Researchers reconstructed the motion from seismic wave amplitudes and directions, identifying it as a strike-slip event where crustal blocks move horizontally past one another.
The rupture occurred beneath western Valles Marineris, suggesting that faults formed billions of years ago can still slip under current Martian stresses. This discovery opens possibilities for detecting ongoing seismic activity on other seemingly geologically inactive planetary bodies, proving that InSight's data continues to reveal how Mars evolves.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing