Marsquakes indicate a solid core for the red planet, just like Earth
Summary
A Chinese-led research team recently discovered that Mars has a solid inner core similar to Earth's, made of iron and nickel. These findings come from seismic activity data collected by NASA's InSight lander, which recorded more than 1,300 marsquakes before stopping operations in 2022.Key Facts
- Mars' innermost core is solid, made of metal like Earth's.
- NASA's InSight lander recorded over 1,300 marsquakes before it shut down in 2022.
- The inner core of Mars has a radius of about 380 miles (613 kilometers).
- It's likely made of iron and nickel, with possible lighter elements like oxygen.
- Mars also has a liquid outer core extending up to 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) from the center.
- Researchers used data from 23 marsquakes to learn about the core.
- Mars lacks a magnetic field, possibly due to slow crystallization of its core.
- The study's findings were published in the journal Nature.
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