News Planetary Science

Marsquakes and meteorite hits show Mars has a dense liquid metal core

Previous data suggested the Red Planet had a surprisingly light core

Illustration of NASA’s InSight lander measuring seismic waves from quakes and meteorite impacts to study the liquid metal ball at the heart of the planet.

On Mars, NASA’s InSight lander (illustrated) measured seismic waves from quakes and meteorite impacts that better reveal the liquid metal ball at the heart of the planet.

JPL-Caltech/NASA

By James R. Riordon

Mars has a heavy heart after all.

The Red Planet has a dense core of liquid iron surrounded by a relatively thin layer of molten rock, researchers report.