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Using Data From Insight to Locate and Explain Marsquakes

Session: Insight Seismology on Mars: Results From the First Martian Year of Data and Prospects for the Future [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/23/2021

Presentation Time: 11:30 AM Pacific

Description: 

We utilized event labels reported by the Marsquake Service (MQS) to create a visual catalog of waveform data from the InSight mission and characterize signals’ origins. Four low frequency events were tagged as strong signals between 1-Jan-2019 and 31-Dec-2019. One of these events was originally thought to be a single event but after additional analysis was labeled as a series of two seismic events occurring in quick succession. For these four events, S0173a, S0235b, S0325aa, S0325ab, we estimated their epicenters and faulting mechanisms using differential arrival times, waveform polarity and amplitudes of S and P waves. The strongest of the events were S0173a, occurring on 23-May-2019, and S0235b, occurring on 26-July-2019. They were found to be located 29° and 27.5° from the lander with back azimuths estimations of 91° and 74° respectively. These locations indicate these events originated east of the lander near the Cerberus Fossae region, which is in agreement with estimates provided by MQS. We located the third and fourth events on 26-Oct-2019 to the south east and east of the lander due to their respective back azimuths estimations of 123° and 110°. With a distance of 38.5°, S0325aa was found to fall on the boundary between the Martian highlands and lowlands. Based on modeled arrival angles using the Martian interior model named Gudkova, the amplitude ratios of the main body wave phases P and S for all four events align most closely to near-vertical dip-slip faulting mechanisms.

Presenting Author: Madelyn Sita

Student Presenter: Yes

Authors