AI unveils: Meteoroid impacts cause Mars to shake
Meteoroid impacts create seismic waves that cause Mars to shake stronger and deeper than previously thought: This is shown by an investigation using artificial intelligence carried out by an international research team led by the University of Bern. Similarities were found between numerous meteoroid impacts on the surface of Mars and marsquakes recorded by NASA's Mars lander InSight. These findings open up a new perspective on the impact rate and seismic dynamics of the Red Planet.
Meteoroid impacts have a significant influence on the landscape evolution of solid planetary bodies in our solar system, including Mars. By studying craters – the visible remnants of these impacts – important properties of the planet and its surface can be determined. Satellite images help to constrain the formation time of impact craters and thus provide valuable information on impact rates.
A recently published study led by Dr. Valentin Bickel from the Center for Space and Habitability at the University of Bern presents the first comprehensive catalog of impacts on the Martian surface that took place near NASA's Mars lander during the InSight mission between December 2018 and December 2022. Bickel is also an InSight science team member. The study has just been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Machine learning identifies new Martian impacts
The impact events were cataloged using a machine learning approach. Tens of thousands of satellite images were searched for new craters that formed during the seismic monitoring by InSight. Using images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and the Bernese Mars camera CaSSIS the craters were classified according to their size. "Next, we compared the distribution of the craters with the seismic recordings from InSight and looked for matches in space and time," explains first author Bickel. This innovative approach made it possible to identify a total of 123 previously unknown impacts. Based on their determined formation time, estimated magnitude and distance to InSight, the researchers found potential matches between 49 seismic events and one or more possible impact events. "Our data show that more impacts occur on Mars than were determined in previous studies using orbital images," says Bickel. The estimated impact rate is around 1.6 to 2.5 times higher than previously assumed. "Our observations show that some of the recorded marsquakes are actually caused by meteoroid impacts and not tectonic activity. This has far-reaching implications for estimates of the frequency of marsquakes and our understanding of the dynamics of the Martian surface in general."
Wave propagation through the Martian mantle
In a companion study, the research team focused on one of the newly discovered events, a 21.5-metre impact crater in the Cerberus Fossae region, which the team linked to a specific high-frequency marsquake. The Cerberus Fossae rift system is located in a young volcanic plain on Mars that is known for its tectonic activity. This discovery enables the first direct comparison between an impact-induced seismic signal and a signal caused by internal tectonic movements.
The researchers compared the impact location and the time at which InSight registered the respective marsquake. They were able to show that some of the seismic waves propagated through the deeper Martian mantle and not, as previously assumed, only through the surface crust. "These findings challenges previous assumptions about the propagation of seismic waves and suggests that numerous recorded marsquakes were actually further away from the Mars lander InSight than previously thought," says Constantinos Charalambous, InSight science team member at Imperial College London and lead author of the companion study. "In addition to re-locating the epicenters of a range of quakes, this also means that the internal structural model of Mars needs to be revised."
Searching for further similarities
"Our results are not only important for the scientific community. For example, if you want to build a permanent infrastructure on Mars in the future, you need to be able to assess the risk of structural damage, such as caused by meteoroid impacts," emphasizes Bickel. The studies show that the combination of seismic data and orbital image information is crucial for understanding the geophysical properties of Mars. Further research on Mars will aim to refine estimates of marsquake frequency and impact rates.
The studies are the result of an international, interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers from the University of Bern and other renowned institutions, including the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Imperial College London, Brown University, and ETH Zurich. "At the University of Bern, we are ideally positioned to conduct this type of research – particularly because of our interdisciplinary expertise in planetary sciences and machine learning, as well as Bern's active participation in InSight, HiRISE and CaSSIS," concludes Bickel.
Publications:1. New Impacts on Mars: Systematic Identification and Association with InSight Seismic Events by Valentin T. Bickel et al. In: Geophysical Research Letters. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109133 |
Center for Space and Habitability (CSH)The mission of the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) is to foster dialogue and interactions between the various scientific disciplines interested in the formation, detection and characterization of other worlds within and beyond the Solar System, the search for life elsewhere in the Universe, and the implications for disciplines outside of the sciences. Members, partners and collaborators include experts in astronomy, astrophysics and astrochemistry, climate and planetary research, geology and geophysics, biochemistry and philosophy. The CSH is also involved in observations with space telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope and with large ground-based facilities such as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and the European Extremely Large Telescope, which is currently under construction. The CSH is also home to the CSH and Bernoulli Fellowships, which host young, dynamic and talented researchers from around the world to conduct independent research. The CSH runs a number of programs to promote interdisciplinary research at the University of Bern, including collaboration and open dialogue with medicine, philosophy and theology. The CSH has an active tie with similar centers in Switzerland, such as the Life in the Universe Center (LUC) in Geneva and the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life (COPL) in Zurich. More information |
Bernese space exploration: With the world’s elite since the first moon landingWhen the second man, "Buzz" Aldrin, stepped out of the lunar module on July 21, 1969, the first task he did was to set up the Bernese Solar Wind Composition experiment (SWC) also known as the “solar wind sail” by planting it in the ground of the moon, even before the American flag. This experiment, which was planned, built and the results analyzed by Prof. Dr. Johannes Geiss and his team from the Physics Institute of the University of Bern, was the first great highlight in the history of Bernese space exploration. Ever since Bernese space exploration has been among the world’s elite, and the University of Bern has been participating in space missions of the major space organizations, such as ESA, NASA, and JAXA. With CHEOPS the University of Bern shares responsibility with ESA for a whole mission. In addition, Bernese researchers are among the world leaders when it comes to models and simulations of the formation and development of planets. The successful work of the Department of Space Research and Planetary Sciences (WP) from the Physics Institute of the University of Bern was consolidated by the foundation of a university competence center, the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH). The Swiss National Fund also awarded the University of Bern the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, which it manages together with the University of Geneva. |
2025/02/03