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A team of Chinese scientists working alongside a U.S. researcher has made a groundbreaking discovery: Mars possesses a solid inner core, indicating that the red planet shares a similar internal structure with Earth.
Led by Sun Daoyuan and Mao Zhu from the University of Science and Technology of China, the team collaborated with Douglas Hemingway from the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. Their research, published in the UK scientific journal Nature on September 3, detailed how they identified Mars’ core through extensive analysis of marsquakes—shaking events caused by tremors originating within the planet or on its surface—recorded by the NASA InSight lander.
The scientists examined data from 23 marsquake events with strong signals to isolate key seismic waves passing through Mars’ core. Their measurements estimate that the planet’s solid inner core has a radius of approximately 600 kilometers, which is about one-fifth of Mars’ total size.
The analysis revealed a roughly 30% increase in wave velocity and a 7% density difference between Mars’ outer and inner cores. Based on these seismic insights, the team deduced that the inner core mainly consists of iron and nickel, with potential additions of 12-16% sulfur, 6.7-9% oxygen, and up to 3.8% carbon.
This core structure—featuring lighter elements—offers crucial clues about Mars’ magnetic field history, from its early magnetic activity to its current inactivity. It also provides a vital basis for comparing the internal evolutionary processes of Earth and other terrestrial planets.
This research marks the first confirmed evidence of a solid inner core in a planet other than Earth. It demonstrates that Mars shares a similar core-mantle differentiation structure with our planet.
The innovative approach used in the study also sets a precedent for future exploration missions, including lunar studies, by applying seismic techniques to explore the deep interiors of celestial bodies.
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