Geophysical Research Letters (Oct 2023)
A Tectonic Origin for the Largest Marsquake Observed by InSight
- Benjamin Fernando,
- Ingrid J. Daubar,
- Constantinos Charalambous,
- Peter M. Grindrod,
- Alexander Stott,
- Abdullah Al Ateqi,
- Dimitra Atri,
- Savas Ceylan,
- John Clinton,
- Matthew Fillingim,
- Ernest Hauber,
- Jonathon R. Hill,
- Taichi Kawamura,
- Jianjun Liu,
- Antoine Lucas,
- Ralph Lorenz,
- Lujendra Ojha,
- Clement Perrin,
- Sylvain Piqueux,
- Simon Stähler,
- Daniela Tirsch,
- Colin Wilson,
- Natalia Wójcicka,
- Domenico Giardini,
- Philippe Lognonné,
- W. Bruce Banerdt
Affiliations
- Benjamin Fernando
- Department of Physics University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Ingrid J. Daubar
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences Brown University Providence RI USA
- Constantinos Charalambous
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Imperial College London London UK
- Peter M. Grindrod
- Natural History Museum London UK
- Alexander Stott
- ISAE‐SUPAERO Toulouse France
- Abdullah Al Ateqi
- Center for Space Science New York University Abu Dhabi UAE
- Dimitra Atri
- Center for Space Science New York University Abu Dhabi UAE
- Savas Ceylan
- Department of Earth Sciences ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- John Clinton
- Department of Earth Sciences ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Matthew Fillingim
- Space Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley Berkeley CA USA
- Ernest Hauber
- Institute of Planetary Research German Aerospace Center (DLR) Berlin Germany
- Jonathon R. Hill
- School of Earth and Space Exploration Arizona State Univeristy Tempe AZ USA
- Taichi Kawamura
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris CNRS Université Paris Cité Paris France
- Jianjun Liu
- National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Antoine Lucas
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris CNRS Université Paris Cité Paris France
- Ralph Lorenz
- Applied Physics Laboratory Johns Hopkins University Baltimore MD USA
- Lujendra Ojha
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Rutgers University New York NY USA
- Clement Perrin
- Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences Nantes Université Nantes France
- Sylvain Piqueux
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USA
- Simon Stähler
- Department of Earth Sciences ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Daniela Tirsch
- Institute of Planetary Research German Aerospace Center (DLR) Berlin Germany
- Colin Wilson
- European Space Agency Noordwijk The Netherlands
- Natalia Wójcicka
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering Imperial College London London UK
- Domenico Giardini
- Department of Earth Sciences ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Philippe Lognonné
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris CNRS Université Paris Cité Paris France
- W. Bruce Banerdt
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103619
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 50,
no. 20
pp. n/a – n/a
Abstract
Abstract The S1222a marsquake detected by InSight on 4 May 2022 was the largest of the mission, at MwMa 4.7. Given its resemblance to two other large seismic events (S1000a and S1094b), which were associated with the formation of fresh craters, we undertook a search for a fresh crater associated with S1222a. Such a crater would be expected to be ∼300 m in diameter and have a blast zone on the order of 180 km across. Orbital images were targeted and searched as part of an international, multi‐mission effort. Comprehensive analysis of the area using low‐ and medium‐resolution images reveals no relevant transient atmospheric phenomena and no fresh blast zone. High‐resolution coverage of the epicentral area from most spacecraft are more limited, but no fresh crater or other evidence of a new impact have been identified in those images either. We thus conclude that the S1222a event was highly likely of tectonic origin.
