As the marsquakes are happening throughout the day, the researchers believe that the evidence points to a different mechanism generating the quakes rather than the tectonic forces of the planet cooling. They think that the molten rock beneath Mars’s surface is moving around and creating the quakes.
They used data from the InSight lander, but ran it through a new algorithm to detect more marsquakes. This was able to pick up some very small seismic events (via ANU).
By studying these small judders, researchers can learn more about the interior of Mars. And that can teach them about Mars’s history. “Knowing that the Martian mantle is still active is crucial to our understanding of how Mars evolved as a planet,” Tkalčić said. “It can help us answer fundamental questions about the solar system and the state of Mars’ core, mantle and the evolution of its currently-lacking magnetic field.”
The question of Mars’s lack of magnetic field is an important one because Earth’s magnetic field was essential for the development of life here. The magnetosphere of Earth shields us from dangerous space radiation, but Mars seems to have lost its magnetosphere some time ago for reasons we are still working to understand (via Universe Today).
“Therefore, understanding Mars’ magnetic field, how it evolved, and at which stage of the planet’s history it stopped is obviously important for future missions and is critical if scientists one day hope to establish human life on Mars,” Tkalčić said.