Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 22, 2025
11:34
Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths
Published on: July 1, 2019
10.5K
Thickness and structure of the martian crust from InSight seismic data
Brigitte Knapmeyer-Endrun1, Mark P Panning2, Felix Bissig3
1Bensberg Observatory, University of Cologne, Vinzenz-Pallotti-Str. 26, 51429 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. bknapmey@uni-koeln.de.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 26, 2021
Summary
Scientists measured Mars's crust thickness using seismic data from the InSight lander. The Martian crust is estimated to be between 24 and 72 kilometers thick on average.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Seismology
- Geophysics
Background:
- The crust records a planet's formation and evolution.
- Mars lacked absolute measurements of crustal thickness prior to this study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the crustal thickness beneath the InSight lander site on Mars.
- To provide the first absolute measurement of Martian crustal thickness.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of seismic phases reflected and converted at subsurface interfaces.
- Utilizing both marsquake recordings and the ambient wavefield.
- Extrapolation of point measurements using global gravity and topography maps.
Main Results:
- Seismic data suggest at least two, possibly three, subsurface interfaces.
- Crustal thickness estimates range from 20 ± 5 km (second interface) to 39 ± 8 km (third interface).
- Average Martian crustal thickness is estimated between 24 and 72 kilometers.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide crucial data for understanding Martian geological evolution.
- Geodynamic and compositional constraints favor thicker crust models with concentrated heat-producing elements at depth.
- This study establishes a new baseline for Martian crustal studies.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:29Three-Dimensional Analysis of Strain
356
Three-dimensional strain analysis is crucial for understanding how materials deform under stress, particularly in elastic, homogeneous materials. This method employs principal stress axes to simplify complex stress states into more understandable forms. Subjected to stress, a small cubic element within a material either expands or contracts along these axes, transforming into a rectangular parallelepiped. This transformation effectively illustrates the material's deformation. The principal...
356
01:18Porosity in Cement Paste
279
The porosity of concrete is a measure of the void spaces within its structure. These spaces impact its strength and durability significantly. When water and cement interact, a chemical reaction called hydration creates a semi-solid paste. This paste includes combined water, making up approximately 23% of the cement's dry mass, and gel water, which fills minuscule voids known as gel pores, accounting for about 28% of the cement gel volume.
The balance of water to cement in the mix is...
The balance of water to cement in the mix is...
279
02:22Structures of Solids
16.1K
Solids in which the atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite repeating pattern are known as crystalline solids. Metals and ionic compounds typically form ordered, crystalline solids. A crystalline solid has a precise melting temperature because each atom or molecule of the same type is held in place with the same forces or energy. Amorphous solids or non-crystalline solids (or, sometimes, glasses) which lack an ordered internal structure and are randomly arranged. Substances that...
16.1K
01:22Resistivity
4.0K
When a voltage is applied to a conductor, an electrical field is generated, and charges in the conductor feel the force due to the electrical field. The current density that results depends on the electrical field and the properties of the material. In some materials, including metals at a given temperature, the current density is approximately proportional to the electrical field. In these cases, the current density can be modeled as:
4.0K
01:26Influence of Earth's Curvature and Atmospheric Refraction on Leveling
380
During leveling, the Earth's curvature and atmospheric refraction introduce deviations in the line of sight from a true horizontal reference. When the line of sight is leveled, it remains perpendicular to the plumb line only at a single point. Beyond this, it deviates due to the Earth’s curvature, represented by the correction C. For a sight distance D, the deviation can be derived using the relationship:This relationship shows that the deviation increases quadratically with distance.
380
01:26Impact: Problem Solving
327
In an experiment conducted during a Mars mission, a rover propels a projectile with an initial velocity, and the projectile rebounds after colliding with the Martian surface. To ascertain the maximum height attained by the projectile after this collision, the known restitution coefficient and acceleration due to gravity are employed.
By designating the launch point as the origin and utilizing kinematic equations, the vertical component of the projectile's velocity at the point of impact is...
By designating the launch point as the origin and utilizing kinematic equations, the vertical component of the projectile's velocity at the point of impact is...
327