2023-05-19 21:33:44
Mars and Earth have many similarities and also quite a few differences. Both have valleys and mountains, weather and seasons, volcanoes and ice caps. The Martian day lasts 24 hours and 39 minutes, almost the same as ours. But the temperatures, the composition of the atmosphere and gravity distance us from the red planet. Now, a team of scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) claims they have discovered the main planet’s heat source: radioactivity.
The experts, led by seismologist Doyeon Kim, had used data from the NASA’s Mars InSight lander to find out how thick the Martian crust is. And along the way they discovered that the heat produced deep within appears to be the result of radioactive elements such as thorium and uranium decaying over time. The results, published in Geophysical Research Lettersmay seem strange but the reality is that the interior of Mars is surprisingly similar to that of our planet, which also depends partially on the heat of the decay of radioactive elements.
Kim’s team analyzed data obtained from InSight’s seismometer during the Marsquake (the Martian earthquake), the strongest that the lander detected during its entire mission. The seismic waves were strong enough to circle Mars three times, according to the study authors. Thanks to this they were able to determine that the thickness of the Martian crust is between 40 and 55 kilometers.
“This means that the Martian crust is much thicker than that of the Earth or the Moon – explains Kim in a statement –. Smaller planetary bodies tend to have a thicker crust than larger ones.” In the study, the authors note that the density of the Red Planet’s crust in the northern lowlands and southern highlands was similar, a “very exciting” finding that “allows end a long scientific discussion on the origin and structure of the Martian crust”.
But undoubtedly the most exciting thing is that this analysis also provides an explanation of how the planet has been able to generate its heat for billions of years. At least half of the radioactive elements that produce heat they were found in the Martian crust, which could explain “local melt zones” in the planet’s interior, a surprising clue, perhaps, in our quest to unravel the geological mysteries our neighbor still holds.
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