Things We've Learned from NASA's Mars InSight

nasa.gov

31 pointswglb2 comments

I’m surprised to hear there’s so much Martian seismic activity, even if some of it may be false positives from wind affecting instrumentation. I guess I’d always thought that since the surface was lifeless, that the whole planet would be too

I’ve never been through an earthquake, will frequent magnitude 3ish earthquakes disrupt our attempts to colonize Mars?

Wait, lifeless and geologically inactive seem to be very different things, no?

Even the moon has geological activity. Anything big enough will feel tidal gravity forces at least, and that energy has to go somewhere. I would have thought the more relevant factor is whether the planet can "absorb" the energy like a rubber ball (I think it's Titan that has a thin shell over a liquid body that "flexes" as it orbits), or if the forces cause shifts in the solid body.

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