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Scientists detect Marsquakes with InSight’s SEIS seismometer, then analyze the vibrations to distinguish seismic waves from wind and other noise. To estimate where a quake began, they use the time gap between P and S waves to infer distance and, when the waveform allows, use wave polarization to estimate direction. InSight had only one seismic station, so many events could not be located as precisely as earthquakes recorded by a network of stations.
How does a seismometer detect a Marsquake?
NASA’s InSight lander carried the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), an instrument that recorded vibrations—what NASA describes as the planet’s “pulse.” Quakes, impacts, and activity at the surface or in the atmosphere can all create motion that reaches the instrument. Seismologists examine the waveform and its arrivals to decide whether a signal is seismic and what kind of event may have caused it. NASA’s InSight science press kit describes SEIS and the waves it measured.
A source can send body waves through Mars and surface waves along the ground. Among the body waves, P waves arrive first; S waves arrive later and move the ground in a different way. Their distinct arrival patterns help scientists recognize and interpret an event, but a vibration alone does not prove that a quake occurred.
How do scientists tell a quake from wind?
Wind, atmospheric pressure changes, and other environmental effects can create or obscure signals. When InSight recorded its first likely Marsquake on April 6, 2019 (sol 128), NASA said scientists were still determining whether it came from inside Mars rather than from forces above the surface, such as wind. InSight’s wind and thermal shield and SEIS’s vacuum vessel helped reduce some environmental effects; scientists also considered wind, pressure, and magnetic measurements when assessing signals. NASA’s mission science press kit and NASA’s report on the first likely Marsquake describe that process.
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How can scientists locate a quake with one station?
On Earth, multiple seismic stations can compare arrival times at different locations to triangulate an earthquake. InSight operated a single seismic station, so it could not use that ordinary network method. Marsquake locations instead depend on extracting distance and, when the signal supports it, direction from the waveform recorded at that one site.
Use P–S timing to estimate distance
The time between the P-wave and S-wave arrivals gives a clue to how far the source is from InSight: waves arriving farther apart generally indicate a more distant source. It is not a direct ruler, because wave speeds change with the materials the waves travel through inside Mars. Scientists interpret the arrival gap using their understanding of the planet’s interior.
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Use wave polarization to estimate direction
The motion recorded as P and S waves arrive can, for suitable signals, indicate the direction from which the waves came. This is called back azimuth. The Marsquake Service combines distance and back-azimuth estimates into a location when both can be determined reliably; it does not assign a back azimuth to most events. A 2022 study analyzing high-quality events recorded through October 2021 estimated back azimuths for 24 Marsquakes, including 16 that lacked a Marsquake Service back azimuth. The authors placed most of those events east of InSight, in the general Cerberus Fossae region. That is a result for the events and method studied, not a count of all located Marsquakes. The study’s preprint explains its polarization analysis.
Use orbital imagery to locate an impact
An impact can offer an independent check: spacecraft images may show the fresh crater left at the source. NASA reported matching seismic shaking to a fresh impact crater in Cerberus Fossae about 1,640 kilometers from InSight. Researchers also used machine learning to sift through images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Context Camera and flag candidate impact sites for scientists to assess and image further. This approach can help constrain the location of a known impact, but it does not provide a visible crater for an ordinary Marsquake. NASA’s impact-correlation report describes the crater and image search.
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Why are some Marsquakes detected but not located?
Detection and location are different levels of evidence. A waveform may be convincing enough to count as a seismic event, yet not clear enough to estimate both its distance and direction. InSight’s single station supplied less geometric information than a network, back azimuth was unavailable for most events, and distance estimates depended on wave speeds through Mars.
Signals from the far side of Mars are particularly difficult: waves can lose energy or be diverted as they travel through the planet, and some regions create seismic shadow zones. Jessica Irving, an Earth scientist at the University of Bristol, explained to NASA: “Farside quakes are intrinsically harder to detect because a great deal of energy is lost or diverted away as seismic waves travel through the planet.” Larger events are generally easier to distinguish under these constraints. NASA’s report on a farside Marsquake discusses the challenge.
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NASA’s undated mission science summary, accessed in 2026, says InSight measured over 1,300 seismic events; over 50 had signals clear enough for the team to derive information about their location. NASA identifies Cerberus Fossae as the source region for the largest cluster of high-quality events. These are NASA’s summary categories, not a universal location rate for every Mars mission. NASA’s InSight science highlights give the totals.
A magnitude estimate does not necessarily mean the source has been fully located or explained. NASA reported that the May 4, 2022 Marsquake was estimated at magnitude 5, while the team still needed further study to determine details such as its location and source. NASA/JPL’s report on the event illustrates the distinction.
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What each method tells scientists
| Method | What it helps infer | Data needed | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| P–S arrival-time gap | Approximate distance from InSight | Readable P- and S-wave arrivals and estimates of wave speeds through Mars | Wave speeds vary with the materials crossed, so the time gap is not a direct distance measurement. |
| Wave polarization | Direction of arrival, or back azimuth | A waveform clear enough for polarization analysis | Direction is not reliably available for most events. |
| Orbital crater imagery | Surface location of a confirmed impact source | A fresh crater visible in spacecraft imagery and a match to the seismic event | Applies when an impact crater can be identified, not to quakes without a visible impact. |
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