Science

Basketball-Sized Meteorite Impacts on Mars: Redefining Planetary Age Estimation

The Digital Artisan

Jul 1, 2024 — 2 min read

Mars' Meteorite Shower

Research indicates that Mars is pelted with approximately three hundred basketball-sized meteorites yearly. This ground-breaking estimation comes from the joint study by researchers from Imperial College London and ETH Zurich, utilizing data from NASA's now-obsolete InSight Lander's seismic tools.

Seismic Data and Meteorite Impact

The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) on the defunct InSight Lander has been instrumental in providing essential information about significant subterranean events on Mars, including meteorite impacts. Notably, seismic data seems to provide more reliable evidence of impact occurrence than surface craters, which can be just a few meters in radius. Meteorite blast effects generate high-frequency marsquakes that distinguish them from other seismic events. An estimated 280 to 360 meteorite impacts could occur on Mars annually, based on seismic activity data.

Planetary Age and Meteorite Impact

Meteorite impacts are a crucial metric for ascertaining the age of planets as older surfaces typically have more craters. Though this method has been used to calculate the Moon's age, it differs on Mars due to the thin atmosphere capable of breaking up small meteorites and its unique position within the solar system. Natalia Wojcicka, research associate at Imperial College London, and also the co-author of the study, referred to this process as a 'cosmic clock' for dating Martian and potentially other solar surfaces.

Seismic Data and Future Uses

Seismic data techniques could provide essential insights into meteorite impacts along with other seismic activities on Mars, thereby understanding its inner structure better. The latest research into Mars's internals based on seismic data infers it has a smaller and denser iron core surrounded by more molten rock than previously believed. SEIS's largest-ever recorded seismic event on Mars points towards parts of the Martian crust being under tremendous stress, potentially causing marsquakes.

Implications for Future Mars Colonization

Surprisingly, meteorites are theorized as potentially useful for oxygen creation on Mars. Therefore, tracking more may prove critical for future Mars colonization. Wojcicka suggests installing more seismometers, even simpler than SEIS, would greatly contribute towards collecting more data on meteorite impacts and other seismic activities.

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