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NASA’s InSight lander detected marsquakes with SEIS, a seismometer lowered onto the Martian surface. Its six sensors measured ground motion across different frequency ranges and directions. Scientists then analyzed the recordings alongside environmental and instrument data to distinguish possible seismic waves from wind, atmospheric activity, and measurement noise.

How SEIS measured motion on Mars

SEIS (the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure) was placed directly on the ground rather than left on InSight’s deck. A dome-shaped shield covered it to reduce exposure to wind and temperature changes. NASA describes the seismometer as waiting to sense “the pulse, or seismic waves, from marsquakes, and thumps of meteorite impacts.”

The instrument contained six sensors arranged in two three-sensor groups. Their orientations let SEIS measure ground motion in different directions, while the two groups covered different frequency ranges:

Sensor group What it measured
Very-broad-band sensors Lower-frequency ground oscillations.
Short-period sensors Higher-frequency motion, up to 50 cycles per second, as described in NASA/JPL’s InSight Landing Press Kit.

Using both groups gave scientists measurements across a wider range of ground vibrations than one sensor type alone could provide.

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How scientists identify a possible marsquake

When the ground moves, SEIS records the vibration. But a movement in the data is not automatically a marsquake: wind and atmospheric activity can shake the surface or otherwise affect the signal. Scientists compare the waveform’s characteristics with environmental measurements and instrument conditions before interpreting its cause.

This distinction matters because a seismometer records motion, not an explanation for that motion. A signal may be consistent with a seismic event while remaining difficult to separate from non-seismic sources.

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What can make the recordings noisy

Wind and atmospheric activity

The shield reduced wind exposure but could not eliminate wind-related vibration. NASA reported that wind could obscure some marsquakes, making faint signals harder to recognize.

Temperature changes in the cable

The cable connecting SEIS to the lander expanded and contracted as temperatures changed. That movement could produce popping sounds and spikes in the data. In March 2021, InSight began placing soil over the cable in an effort to insulate it from wind and temperature variation.

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How seismic waves reveal Mars’s interior

Once scientists identify a useful seismic signal, they can study how its waves travel through Mars. Waves change as they pass through different materials and encounter boundaries between interior layers. Their behavior helps researchers infer properties of the crust, mantle, and core—one of the mission’s central science goals.

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What InSight detected

NASA reported the first likely marsquake signal on April 23, 2019. SEIS had recorded it on April 6, the mission’s 128th Martian day, or sol. NASA’s report said scientists were still examining the signal’s cause, underscoring how interpretation is needed when a possible event is faint and other sources of motion can interfere.

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NASA’s InSight Science Highlights page reports that SEIS measured over 1,300 seismic events, with more than 50 signals clear enough for the team to derive location information. These are distinct categories: the total does not mean every recorded event was confirmed as a marsquake, and the location figure applies only to signals clear enough for that analysis.

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