Skip to main content

NASA’s InSight lander detects ‘monster quake’ on Mars

NASA’s InSight Mars lander has just detected the strongest quake ever observed on another planet.

The marsquake, which took place on May 4, registered at magnitude 5, easily beating the previous magnitude record of 4.2 in a quake detected by InSight in August last year. Further study of the natural event, which NASA described as a “monster quake,” will help scientists to determine its precise location and the nature of its source. The hope is that it could also offer more information about the red planet’s interior.

Recommended Videos

NASA reported the powerful marsquake on InSight’s Twitter account on Monday, May 10.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

“Felt that one!” the tweet said. “After more than three years of listening to the soft rumbles of Mars, I just felt by far my biggest ‘marsquake’ yet: Looks like about magnitude 5. My team is studying the data to learn more. Science rewards patience!”

Felt that one‼️

After more than three years of listening to the soft rumbles of Mars, I just felt by far my biggest “marsquake” yet: looks like about magnitude 5. My team is studying the data to learn more. Science rewards patience!

More details: https://t.co/DKVy8tUrxU pic.twitter.com/bExr13Lkvw

— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) May 9, 2022

Mars doesn’t have the kind of tectonic plates whose sudden movements cause quakes on Earth. Instead, marsquakes are caused by volcanic activity. Scientists are interested in studying Mars’ seismic activity as the data can contribute to a better understanding of the red planet’s mantle and core.

In more than three years of monitoring Mars, InSight has detected more than 1,313 quakes. Its highly sensitive seismometer operates beneath a dome that serves to block out the sound of the wind and protect it from the cold nights.

Commenting on last week’s significant marsquake, Bruce Banerdt, InSight’s principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: “Since we set our seismometer down in December 2018, we’ve been waiting for ‘the big one.’ This quake is sure to provide a view into the planet like no other. Scientists will be analyzing this data to learn new things about Mars for years to come.”

NASA also reported that InSight is currently experiencing issues with martian dust that’s covering its solar panels, leading to reduced efficiency. InSight can attempt to remove dust by using its robotic arm to trickle sand across the panels. Windy conditions can also clear it off, but the lander has to be lucky to experience such a weather event. Dust is also causing issues for NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, which last year became the first aircraft to perform a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
NASA’s exciting 2024 began with a crash that ended a historic mission
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, right, stands near the apex of a sand ripple in an image taken by Perseverance on Feb. 24, 2024, about five weeks after the rotorcraft’s final flight. Part of one of Ingenuity’s rotor blades lies on the surface about 49 feet (15 meters) west of helicopter (at left in image).

NASA had a busy 2024, overseeing space station operations, monitoring a slew of ongoing missions, preparing for upcoming Artemis lunar flights, and much more.

It also began the year with a fully functioning helicopter on Mars.

Read more
Watch NASA’s SLS rocket take one small step toward the Artemis II moon mission
The core stage of NASA's SLS rocket.

Artemis II Core Stage Moves to High Bay 2

Although it won’t be blasting off until mid-2026 at the earliest, preparations are already well underway for the launch of NASA’s highly anticipated Artemis II mission.

Read more
NASA orbiter captures one last image of retired InSight lander on Mars
This illustration shows NASA's InSight spacecraft with its instruments deployed on the Martian surface.

NASA's Insight lander spent four years on the surface of Mars, uncovering secrets of the planet's interior, but it eventually succumbed to the most martian of environmental threats: dust. Mars has periodic dust storms that can whip up into huge global events, lifting dust up into the air and then dumping it on everything in sight -- including solar panels. After years of accumulation, eventually the dust was so thick that Insight's solar panels could no longer generate enough power to keep it operational, and the mission officially came to an end in December 2022.

That wasn't quite the end of the story for InSight, though, as it is still being used for science to this day, albeit indirectly. Recently, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) caught a glimpse of InSight from orbit, capturing the lander's dusty surroundings and showing how even more dust had built up on it.

Read more