NASA’s InSight mission has revealed that Mars possesses a completely liquid core composed mainly of sulfur and oxygen, advancing our understanding of the planet’s formation and its differences compared to Earth. Seismic waves from two significant seismic events in 2021 allowed scientists to directly measure the core’s properties for the first time. The study, published in April 2023, confirms that Mars has a less dense and more compressible core than Earth, indicating distinct geological conditions and evolutionary paths.
The research team utilized data from the InSight lander to trace the seismic waves’ movement through the Martian core, revealing it to be a liquid iron-alloy core, unlike Earth’s solid inner core and liquid outer core. The high proportion of light elements in Mars’ core suggests it formed under different conditions and points to the absence of a protective magnetic field, which has significant implications for Mars’ habitability.
While current conditions on Mars are hostile to life, the existence of traces of past magnetism in the crust suggests Mars may have once had a more supportive environment. This study enhances our understanding of planetary formation and the factors influencing habitability, paving the way for future research on other celestial bodies.
