It was first measured the seismic waves moving through the Martian core
about the episode
A new study provides unique insight into the composition of Mars’ liquid core. It helps researchers better understand how the planet formed and formed.
In this study, a large international team of scientists has recorded for the first time how sound waves move through the Martian core. Analysis of these seismic waves captured by NASA’s Mars Insight probe, generated by an earthquake and meteorite impact, shows that Mars’ liquid core is much denser and smaller than previously thought.
1780 to 1810 kilometers to be exact. They were also able to establish that the composition of the core contains an iron alloy with a large proportion of sulfur and oxygen.
The discovery was a combination of waiting for the right data, a bit of luck, and decades of hard work by researchers from different disciplines. The findings help understand how the composition of Mars differs from that of Earth.
New theories about the conditions under which the planet must have formed can now be compared to the properties of the core to see if they are correct.
Read more: Scientists have detected seismic waves traveling through the Martian core for the first time.
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