Expected seismicity and the seismic noise environment of Europa

Seismic data will be a vital geophysical constraint on internal structure of Europa if we land instruments on the surface. Quantifying expected seismic activity on Europa both in terms of large, recognizable signals and ambient background noise is important for understanding dynamics of the moon, as well as interpretation of potential future data. Seismic energy sources will likely include cracking in the ice shell and turbulent motion in the oceans. We define a range of models of seismic activity in Europa's ice shell by assuming each model follows a Gutenberg-Richter relationship with varying parameters. A range of cumulative seismic moment release between $10^{16}$ and $10^{18}$ Nm/yr is defined by scaling tidal dissipation energy to tectonic events on the Earth's moon. Random catalogs are generated and used to create synthetic continuous noise records through numerical wave propagation in thermodynamically self-consistent models of the interior structure of Europa. Spectral characteristics of the noise are calculated by determining probabilistic power spectral densities of the synthetic records. While the range of seismicity models predicts noise levels that vary by 80 dB, we show that most noise estimates are below the self-noise floor of high-frequency geophones, but may be recorded by more sensitive instruments. The largest expected signals exceed background noise by $\sim$50 dB. Noise records may allow for constraints on interior structure through autocorrelation. Models of seismic noise generated by pressure variations at the base of the ice shell due to turbulent motions in the subsurface ocean may also generate observable seismic noise.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, Added in supplementary information from revision submission, including 3 audio files with sonification of Europa noise records. To view attachments, please download and extract the gzipped tar source file listed under "Other formats

InSight: Single Station Broadband Seismology for Probing Mars' Interior

InSight is a proposed Discovery mission which will deliver a lander containing geophysical instrumentation, including a heat flow probe and a seismometer package, to Mars. The aim of this mission is to perform, for the first time, an in-situ investigation of the interior of a truly Earth- like planet other than our own, with the goal of understanding the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets through investigation of the interior structure and processes of Mars

Surface waves and crustal structure on Mars

We detected surface waves from two meteorite impacts on Mars. By measuring group velocity dispersion along the impact-lander path, we obtained a direct constraint on crustal structure away from the InSight lander. The crust north of the equatorial dichotomy had a shear wave velocity of approximately 3.2 kilometers per second in the 5- to 30-kilometer depth range, with little depth variation. This implies a higher crustal density than inferred beneath the lander, suggesting either compositional differences or reduced porosity in the volcanic areas traversed by the surface waves. The lower velocities and the crustal layering observed beneath the landing site down to a 10-kilometer depth are not a global feature. Structural variations revealed by surface waves hold implications for models of the formation and thickness of the martian crust.D.K., S.C., D.G., J.C., C.D., A. K., S.C.S., N.D., and G.Z. were supported by the ETH+ funding scheme (ETH+02 19-1: “Planet Mars”). Marsquake Service operations at ETH Zürich were supported by ETH Research grant ETH-06 17-02. N.C.S. and V.L. were supported by NASA PSP grant no. 80NSSC18K1628. Q.H. and E.B. are funded by NASA grant 80NSSC18K1680. C.B. and J.L. were supported by NASA InSight PSP grant no. 80NSSC18K1679. S.D.K. was supported by NASA InSight PSP grant no. 80NSSC18K1623. P.L., E.B., M.D., H.S., E.S., M.W., Z.X., T.W., M.P., R.F.G. were supported by CNES and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-19-CE31-0008-08 MAGIS) for SEIS operation and SEIS Science analysis. A.H., C.C. and W.T.P. were supported by the UKSA under grant nos. ST/R002096/1, ST/ W002523/1 and ST/V00638X/1. Numerical computations of McMC Approach 2 were performed on the S-CAPAD/DANTE platform (IPGP, France) and using the HPC resources of IDRIS under the allocation A0110413017 made by GENCI. A.H. was supported by the UKSA under grant nos. ST/R002096/1 and ST/W002523/1. F.N. was supported by InSight PSP 80NSSC18K1627. I.J.D. was supported by NASA InSight PSP grant no. 80NSSC20K0971. L.V.P. was funded by NASANNN12AA01C with subcontract JPL-1515835. The research was carried out in part by W.B.B., M.G. and M.P.P. at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004)Peer reviewe

Seismic detection of the martian core by InSight

A plethora of geophysical, geo- chemical, and geodynamical observations indicate that the terrestrial planets have differentiated into silicate crusts and mantles that surround a dense core. The latter consists primarily of Fe and some lighter alloying elements (e.g., S, Si, C, O, and H) [1]¿. The Martian meteorites show evidence of chalcophile element depletion, suggesting that the otherwise Fe-Ni- rich core likely contains a sulfide component, which influences physical state

Resonances and Lander Modes Observed by InSight on Mars (1–9 Hz)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASAs) Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander successfully touched down on Mars in November 2018, and, for the first time, a seismometer was deployed on the surface of the planet. The seismic recordings reveal diurnal and seasonal changes of the broadband noise level that are consistent with variations of the local atmospheric conditions. The seismic data include a variety of spectral peaks, which are interpreted as wind-excited,mechanical resonances of the lander, resonances of the subsurface, or artifacts produced in themeasurement system. Understanding the origin of these signals is critical for the detection and characterization of marsquakes as well as for studies investigating the ambient noise. We identify the major spectral peaks up to 9 Hz, corresponding to the frequency range the most relevant to observed marsquakes. We track the variations in frequency, amplitude, and polarization of these peaks over the duration of the mission so far. The majority of these peaks can readily be classified as measurement artifacts or lander resonances (lander modes), of which the latter have a temperature-dependent peak frequency and a wind-sensitive amplitude. Of particular interest is a prominent resonance at 2.4 Hz, which is used to discriminate between seismic events and local noise and is possibly produced by a subsurface structure. In contrast to the lander modes, the 2.4 Hz resonance has distinctly different features: (1) a broad and stable spectral shape, slightly shifted on each component; (2) predominantly vertical energy; (3) temperature-independent peak frequency; (4) comparatively weak amplification by local winds, though there is a slow change in the diurnal and seasonal amplitude; and (5) excitation during all seismic events that excite this frequency band. Based on these observations, we suggest that the 2.4 Hz resonance is the only mode below 9 Hz that could be related to a local ground structureThe authors acknowledge National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), The National Centre for Space Studies of France (CNES), their partner agencies and institutions (UK Space Agency [UKSA], Swiss Space Office [SSO], Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [DLR], Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL], Institut du Physique du Globe de Paris Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique [IPGP-CNRS], Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich [ETHZ], Imperial College London [IC], Max-Planck Institut for Solar System Research [MPS-MPG]), and the flight operations team at JPL, SEIS on Mars Operation Center (SISMOC), Mars SEIS Package Data Service (MSDS), Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center (IRIS-DMC), and Planetary Data System (PDS) for providing Standard for the Exchange of Earthquake Data (SEED) Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) data. We acknowledge funding from (1) Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SEFRI project “MarsQuake Service-Preparatory Phase”), (2) ETH Research grant ETH-06 17-02, and (3) ETH+02 19-1: Planet MARS. The Swiss contribution in implementation of the SEIS electronics was made possible through funding from the federal Swiss Space Office (SSO), the contractual and technical support of the European Space Agency – Programme de Développement d'Expériences scientifiques (ESA-PRODEX) office. The French authors acknowledge the French Space Agency CNES and French National Agency for Research (ANR) (ANR-14-CE36-0012-02 and ANR‐19-CE31-0008-08) for support in the Science analysis. This is Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) contribution 202.Peer reviewe

The interior of Mars as seen by InSight (Invited)

InSight is the first planetary mission dedicated to exploring the whole interior of a planet using geophysical methods, specifically seismology and geodesy. To this end, we observed seismic waves of distant marsquakes and inverted for interior models using differential travel times of phases reflected at the surface (PP, SS...) or the core mantle-boundary (ScS), as well as those converted at crustal interfaces. Compared to previous orbital observations1-3, the seismic data added decisive new insights with consequences for the formation of Mars: The global average crustal thickness of 24-75 km is at the low end of pre-mission estimates5. Together with the the thick lithosphere of 450-600 km5, this requires an enrichment of heat-producing elements in the crust by a factor of 13-20, compared to the primitive mantle. The iron-rich liquid core is 1790-1870 km in radius6, which rules out the existence of an insulating bridgmanite-dominated lower mantle on Mars. The large, and therefore low-density core needs a high amount of light elements. Given the geochemical boundary conditions, Sulfur alone cannot explain the estimated density of ~6 g/cm3 and volatile elements, such as oxygen, carbon or hydrogen are needed in significant amounts. This observation is difficult to reconcile with classical models of late formation from the same material as Earth. We also give an overview of open questions after three years of InSight operation on the surface of Mars, such as the potential existence of an inner core or compositional layers above the CM