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How Does NASA’s InSight Lander Detect Marsquakes?

InSight detected marsquakes with SEIS, a seismometer placed on the Martian surface. Its six sensors recorded ground motion, which scientists analyzed alongside wind, atmospheric and instrument noise.
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NASA’s InSight lander detected marsquakes with SEIS, a seismometer deployed directly on the Martian ground. Its six sensors measured ground motion across different frequency ranges and directions. Scientists then distinguished possible seismic waves from wind, atmospheric activity and instrument noise before using the signals to study Mars’s interior.

How SEIS measures ground motion

SEIS—the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure—was lowered from the lander onto the surface, rather than left on the lander’s deck. A dome-shaped wind and thermal shield covered it. NASA describes the instrument as waiting to sense seismic waves from marsquakes and thumps from meteorite impacts.

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The instrument combined six sensors in two groups of three. Their different frequency ranges and orientations let them register motion in multiple directions:

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  • Very-broad-band sensors measured lower-frequency oscillations.
  • Short-period sensors measured higher-frequency vibration, up to 50 cycles per second, according to NASA/JPL’s InSight Landing Press Kit.

When the ground moves, those sensors record the motion as a signal. That recording is evidence to analyze, not automatic proof that an earthquake occurred: other sources can also shake the instrument or complicate its readings.

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How scientists tell a marsquake signal from noise

Wind and atmospheric activity can move the surface or introduce vibrations that reach SEIS. The shield reduced the instrument’s exposure, but NASA reported that wind could still obscure some marsquakes. Researchers considered environmental measurements and the characteristics of the recorded signal when interpreting a possible event.

The connection between the lander and the seismometer presented another challenge. Temperature swings caused the cable to expand and contract, producing popping sounds and spikes in the data. In March 2021, the lander began placing soil over the cable to help insulate it from wind and temperature variation.

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What seismic waves reveal about Mars

Once scientists identify a usable seismic signal, they can study how its waves travel through the planet. Waves change as they pass through different materials and encounter boundaries between layers. Those changes help researchers infer properties of Mars’s crust, mantle and core.

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This is why clear, interpretable records matter: a sensor can detect ground motion, but the motion’s path and character provide the evidence researchers use to investigate the interior.

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What InSight detected—and what the counts mean

NASA reported that SEIS recorded its first likely marsquake signal on April 6, 2019, the mission’s 128th Martian day, or sol. NASA announced the signal on April 23 and said scientists were still examining its cause. The cautious wording reflects the difficulty of separating faint seismic signals from non-seismic sources such as wind.

NASA’s InSight Science Highlights page reports that SEIS measured over 1,300 seismic events. More than 50 had signals clear enough for the team to derive information about their location. Those figures distinguish the broader set of recorded events from the smaller number with sufficiently clear signals for location analysis; they do not mean every recorded event was confirmed as a marsquake.

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