NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — Groundbreaking discovery: Recent findings have cast doubt on NASA‘s InSight Mars Lander mission’s initial conclusions about the Red Planet’s interior.
Scientists have discovered a molten silicate layer at the base of Mars’ mantle, suggesting a smaller, denser core than previously thought. This new information not only fits better with existing geophysical data, but also provides a more complete explanation of the evolution of Mars since its formation.
The first data from NASA’s InSight mission, published in the summer of 2021, allowed scientists to gain insight into the internal structure of Mars. However, subsequent analysis of new data obtained as a result of the fall of a powerful meteorite on September 18, 2021, cast doubt on the initial estimates.
An international team led by Henri Samuel, a researcher at the Paris Institute of Physics of the Globe, conducted a study of the propagation time of the waves generated by this impact.
The group included scientists from various institutions, such as CNRS, ISAE-SUPAERO, University of Paris Cité, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Universities of Maryland and Bristol, Zurich Polytechnic School, Russian Academy of Sciences, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Their research revealed the presence of a molten silicate layer at the base of Mars’ mantle, overlying a metallic core.
A new model of the internal structure of Mars, published in the journal Nature on October 25, 2023, not only agrees with existing geophysical data, but also provides a more complete picture of the planet’s evolution.
Stratification of the Martian mantle explains the unusually slow propagation of diffraction waves observed after the September 2021 meteorite impact. These waves pass through the lower and completely molten part of the basal layer, where seismic velocities are low.
Additionally, the arrival times of waves from previous seismic events measured on the surface of Mars are now considered consistent with shear wave reflection at the top of the molten layer, rather than at the core-mantle boundary as previously thought.
The presence of this molten basal layer also sheds light on the trajectory of Phobos, Mars’ closest moon. The upper, partially molten part of the basal layer effectively dissipates the deformations caused by the gravitational pull of Phobos.
The solid mantle above this layer, on the contrary, is more rigid and does not dampen seismic activity well, as evidenced by the detection of waves associated with relatively low-magnetic seismic events on the surface of Mars.
Henri Samuel, CNRS scientist and geodynamicist at the IPGP, explains the significance of this new model of the interior of Mars. He said research conducted by scientists on NASA’s InSight mission suggests a heterogeneous Martian mantle, consisting of a molten silicate layer overlying the planet’s core.
This revolutionary model, based on seismic data obtained after a meteorite impact, not only explains all geophysical observations, but also changes our understanding of the internal structure of Mars and its evolution.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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