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NASA's InSight lander detects largest quake on Mars
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This concept picture depicts NASA's InSight lander after it has deployed its instruments on the Martian surface. /NASA

This concept picture depicts NASA's InSight lander after it has deployed its instruments on the Martian surface. /NASA

NASA's InSight Mars lander has detected the largest quake ever observed on another planet, NASA said on Monday.

An estimated magnitude-5.0 quake was detected by the lander on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day of its mission.

This adds to the catalog of more than 1,313 quakes InSight has detected since landing on Mars in November 2018, according to NASA.

InSight was sent to Mars in May 2018 with a highly sensitive seismometer to study the deep interior of the planet.

As seismic waves pass through or reflect off material in Mars' crust, mantle and core, they change in ways that seismologists can study to determine the depth and composition of these layers.

By learning about the structure of Mars, scientists can better understand the formation of all rocky worlds, including Earth and its moon, said NASA.

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