Mars undergoes numerous quakes, yet many of these vibrations are initiated by events occurring beyond the planet itself. NASA’s **InSight lander**, which functioned on the Martian terrain from 2018 to 2022, logged over 1,300 **marsquakes**, including some particularly intense ones. Now, an innovative study has merged seismic data from InSight with imagery from spacecraft orbiting Mars to uncover that meteor impacts are not only frequent on the Red Planet but also a key contributor to its seismic activities.
As per the European Space Agency (ESA), two recent studies released in the journal *Geophysical Research Letters* indicate that numerous seismic occurrences once believed to stem from tectonic activities might instead be the result of meteor collisions. This revelation was enabled by machine-learning technology, which examined extensive amounts of imagery from three separate spacecraft. Researchers pinpointed 49 quakes that correlated with impact events noted by InSight, leading to the finding that meteor impacts on Mars happen 1.5 to 2.5 times more often than previous estimates indicated.
One particular impact, recorded by the ESA’s **Trace Gas Orbiter**, generated a crater measuring 21 meters wide (69 feet wide) and distributed debris throughout the vicinity. The meteorite hit roughly 1,640 kilometers (1,020 miles) from InSight’s position but still generated a detectable marsquake.
### Why Mars Is More Vulnerable to Impacts
Mars is significantly more prone to meteorite collisions compared to Earth. Its thin atmosphere—merely 1% the density of Earth’s—provides minimal defense, enabling space rocks to strike the surface without disintegrating. Moreover, Mars is situated nearer to the **asteroid belt**, a region teeming with millions of space rocks, heightening the probability of impacts.
Grasping the frequency and consequences of meteor impacts is essential for upcoming Mars missions. Space agencies like NASA are not only contemplating robotic exploration but also the potential for human colonization of the Red Planet. As noted by the ESA, “Additional data on impact rates and crater sizes will aid in assessing potential hazards for robots, humans, and habitats during future Mars missions.”
### Mars: A World of Discovery
Robotic missions persist in unveiling the enigmas of this frigid, arid world, which is situated an average of 140 million miles from Earth. NASA’s **Perseverance rover** has detected potential—but inconclusive—indications of ancient microbial life, while its counterpart, the **Curiosity rover**, has uncovered evidence that Mars once possessed warm, water-abundant environments. InSight has also disclosed that liquid water may still be present deep beneath the planet’s crust.
These revelations are transforming our comprehension of Mars as a dynamic and evolving entity, one that presents both challenges and prospects for future exploration.