CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s InSight lander has picked up a gentle rumble at Mars, believed to be the first marsquake ever detected.
InSight’s quake monitor recorded and measured the faint signal April 6, and scientists announced the finding Tuesday.
While the rumble sounds like soft wind, scientists believe it came from within the red planet. The French scientist in charge of the experiment, Philippe Lognonne, says it’s exciting to finally have proof that Mars is still seismically active. Mars is not nearly as geologically active as Earth and, like our moon, lacks tectonic plates.
Scientists are still analyzing the data, as well as three other even fainter seismic signals detected.
The French seismometer was placed on the Martian surface in December, a few weeks after the spacecraft landed.
