First Active Fault Zone Found on Mars

Rumbling quakes on the red planet have been traced back to Cerberus Fossae, suggesting this geologically young region is still alive and cracking. From a report: Millions of miles away, a robot geologist stands alone on the dusty surface of Mars, listening for faint seismic echoes in the ground below. Its finger on the red planet's pulse is sensitive enough to pick up the whoosh of wind, the drone of dust devils, the creak of tectonic cracks, and many other rumbles ricocheting though the planet's insides. While most of these signals have been indistinct murmurs, two have stood out loud and clear, allowing scientists to trace them back to their source: the first active fault zone yet found on the red planet. Known as marsquakes, the events clocked in between magnitude 3 and 4, according to data from NASA's InSight lander presented at a recent American Geophysical Union conference. While the two quakes are small by Earth standards, they're among the largest yet detected on Mars. Scientists were able to trace both quakes to an area known as Cerberus Fossae, a series of deep gashes that lingers some 994 miles to the east of InSight's landing zone.

The results from this work are pending publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and scientists associated with the InSight team declined to comment until after the study's release. But the announcement of this active fault zone millions of miles away already has earthbound scientists abuzz. "All the expectations we have and all the models we have to try to explain how active Mars might be can now be benchmarked against this measurement," says Paul Byrne, a planetary geologist at North Carolina State University who is not part of the InSight team. "Mars has just become a bit more alive to us with these data."

Potential geothermal power source

[Anonymous Coward]

It would be huge if we could harness geothermal energy on Mars to power a large base and recharge rovers. This energy would be 24/7 (or the Martian equivalent of that) and we would not have to rely on solar panels, or clean them, or repair them. We could also use it to split H2O molecules present in the permafrost or condensed from the atmosphere to provide a ready source of fuel for return trips to Earth. It's really beginning to look like a permanent presence on Mars is not only possible but inevitable

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[WindBourne]

strip mining is not an issue. Just need to restore it, or develop it into reservoirs. Problem is, that so many mining companies HATE restoring the land. And in other nations, they do not care.

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[OrangeTide]

Earth is infested with a dangerous species of Great Ape that has little hair and is violently territorial.

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[PolygamousRanchKid]

It would be huge if we could harness geothermal energy on Mars to power a large base and recharge rovers.

It would be huge if we could harness geothermal energy on Earth to power a large base and recharge Teslas.

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[BeerFartMoron]

It would be huge if we could harness geothermal energy on Mars to power a large base and recharge rovers.

It would be huge if we could harness geothermal energy on Earth to power a large base and recharge Teslas.

It would be huge if the Martian Molemen switched from manual digging to purchasing drilling equipment from Musk's Boring Company. Then they could use their geothermal energy to charge their Tesla vehicles.

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[WindBourne]

In fact, ALL of the developed, and partially developed nations that are below 2 tonnes / capita on CO2 emissions, use a combination of geothermal, hydro and/or nuclear.
Here in the states, we have a real need to develop geothermal, esp. here in the west.
Problem is, that the far lefties have worked to block it.

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[greythax]

Just because there are quakes doesn't necessarily mean they are driven by a molten core. While it's a pretty sure bet that there is a molten iron core on mars, there doesn't appear to be any convection in the mantle. You would have to dig deeper than we are capable of digging to hit a good heat source.

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[Tablizer]

Do you need convection for a "finger" of lava to reach toward the surface?

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[greythax]

I would say, probably yes, though I am not a geoscientist. I can say with confidence, however, that if you want it to STAY a finger of lava, you will need convected heat, because it will start loosing heat to the the mantle instantly. You have to remember, we on earth are sitting on basically a very thin skin on top of a roiling, liquid like material (over very long periods) folding over itself punching holes into the liquid like parts.

Mars doesn't have (as far as we know) those plate tectonics making con

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[Tablizer]

It only needs to "stay" a few hundred years to be useful to us.

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[WindBourne]

uh no. All that is needed is a thermal difference. In particular, the surface temperature of mars (typically -63C) will be very low compared to mars. We will find out how much difference it is in the coming months. All it takes is 50-100C.

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[WindBourne]

Yes, geothermal energy is very likely on Mars and by far, our best form of energy (as it is on earth).
But, several issues here.
The first is that active marsquakes could change one of our approaches. We need to hide from Radiation, which means being in the dirt (and those pictures of living quarters above the ground is a joke). One of the best solutions was to build inside of lava tubes. Now, this might change things. Instead, we may have to build on top and then cover up with 3-5 m of dirt, which is a l

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[ElectronicSpider]

We've been transporting energy via wires for almost a century and a half, I think we can manage.

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[WindBourne]

We have to transport 10-100 miles worth of cable that can carry say 10 MW and be able to handle the extreme temp range along with hard radiation. NO WHERE on earth have done this.

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[Dunbal]

condensed from the atmosphere

Martian atmosphere is 0.6% as dense as Earth and averages at -60 degrees C. Exactly how much water do you expect to condense from that? First of all you'll be catching ice crystals, not liquid. And secondly I expect it would take you a long time just to get a few grams of water.

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[ElectronicSpider]

(Also, while we're at it: Unless you are an ancient Roman or a Spanish speaker, the name for our star is "sun". Not "sol". If you use the latter, go get a therapy so you don't have to compensate your lack of self-confidence with pathetic snobbery, by using unknown words from a dead language to elevate yourself above others.)

There's world beyond the anglosphere.

Yeah, and I'm from there.

[BAReFO0t]

But this is an English-speaking US site.

And if you are German, or Japanese, it isn't "sol" either. Unless it actually is the word in your language! Finally get my point now?

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[kenai_alpenglow]

or if you happen to be in the Western Hemisphere. To a lot of folks here it IS called "sol". El sol. No therapy needed.

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[kenai_alpenglow]

(OK you did mention Spanish. But in Portuguese it's also sol.)

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[Immerman]

> the name for our star is "sun". Not "sol"

Which works fine so long as you're speaking English about only our sun.

As soon as you start looking beyond our own solar system "sun" is rendered an entirely generic name for *every* star - so if you want to discus our sun in that context, you need to give it a proper name, like "Sol", to distinguish it from the 100s of billions of other suns in our galaxy.

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[Brett Buck]

Unless you are an ancient Roman, the name for our star is "sun". Not "sol". If you use the latter, go get a therapy so you don't have to compensate your lack of self-confidence with pathetic snobbery, by using unknown words from a dead language to elevate yourself above others.

        Many people here are desperately insecure (mostly for good reason), and try to be as pompous as possible to try to cover it up.