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First observations of core-transiting seismic phases on Mars

J. Irving, V. Lekić, C. Durán, M. Drilleau, Doyeon Kim, A. Rivoldini, Amir Khan, H. Samuel et al.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2023

68 citations

Abstract

Significance Mars has a liquid iron alloy core at its center. Using seismic data gathered by the InSight mission, we have made the first observations of seismic waves traveling through Mars’ core. We use the travel times of core-transiting seismic waves, relative to ones which remain in the mantle, to constrain properties of the core and construct the first models of the elastic properties of the entire planet. Our results are consistent with a core rich in sulfur, with smaller fractions of oxygen, carbon and hydrogen.

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