TGO image from November 3, 2023 reveals impact effects in Cerberus Fossae region, deepening understanding of Martian tremors and seismic effects
A meteor crashed on Mars in February 2021, sending seismic waves that traveled 1,640 kilometers to NASA's InSight lander. The impact created a crater 21 meters wide and caused a disturbance over an area of about 1,400 meters. The European Space Agency's Exo-Mars Gas Remnants Orbiter (TGO) documented the event using CaSSIS, its color and stereoscopic imaging system.
Mars is frequently hit by “Martian quakes” – the local version of earthquakes – and meteor impacts. Over the past two decades, scientists have manually analyzed countless images, identifying hundreds of new impact craters on the planet’s surface.
Artificial intelligence joins the crater hunt
To streamline this laborious work, researchers are now using artificial intelligence to identify new craters and link seismic data from several instruments orbiting Mars. Among these instruments is the European Space Agency's CaSSIS camera, which plays a key role in this activity.
Two recent studies published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters suggest that many seismic events recorded by InSight—previously attributed to tectonic processes—may actually be the result of meteor impacts. A false-color image of a newly formed crater in the Cerberus Fossae region, one of the most seismically active regions on Mars, provided crucial evidence to support this discovery.
High-resolution images verify the damage
The researchers collected high-resolution images from several cameras orbiting Mars: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Context Camera (CTX) and HiRISE high-resolution cameras, TGO's CaSSIS camera, and Mars Express' High-Resolution Stereo Camera. The images helped locate a new crater that appeared at the same time that InSight's sensors detected one of the tremors.
The successful match helped researchers refine their understanding of Mars' seismic signals, including the way different types of tremors move through the planet at different depths and speeds.
A seismic "highway" beneath the surface
Precise identification of the impact location has led researchers to understand that waves travel deeper and faster through Mars than previously thought—a kind of seismic “highway.” Additional data on the impact rate and crater size will help assess potential risks to robots, humans, and habitats during future Mars missions.
These results show that meteors strike Mars two and a half times more frequently than expected, and the agency's Space Security Program is actively working to develop a planetary defense capability to reduce and prevent hazards from space.
TGO's mission: mapping Mars and its atmosphere
TGO continues to image Mars from orbit to understand its ancient past and potential habitability. The spacecraft not only provides spectacular images, but also the best inventory of atmospheric gases and maps the planet's surface in search of water-rich regions.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
