Mars, like Earth, has hemispheres, but their defining characteristics are markedly different - a phenomenon known as Martian diotomy. The Southern Highlands of the Red Planet are older, higher and more cratered than the Northern Lowlands. The former's high terrain acts as a natural barrier to airflow, leading to different wind patterns and contributing to localized weather patterns, writes PHYS. org.

Previously, scientists believed that this was due to impacts from giant objects from space, whose diameter reached about 2000 kilometers, as well as large-scale convective movements of the mantle caused by differences in its temperature and density. A new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters attempts to further unravel this mystery..

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In the new work, the researchers focused on studying Martian earthquakes, also known as marsquakes.. Note that, as on Earth, this seismic activity can be used to study the driving mechanisms under the surface of Mars.

According to study co-author Professor Weijia Sun from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Earth and Mars are often considered sister planets, formed during the same period - about 4.5 billion years ago.. Both are in the habitable zone of our solar system, however Earth is home to an incredible amount of life while Mars appears quiet and devoid of life.

The team believes the contrast between the two planets is actually due to differences in their internal structures and processes. Dichotomy is one of the most striking features of the surface and internal structures of Mars, and scientists hope to find answers to the question of why life does not thrive on the Red Planet by studying these features of the planet..

According to Professor Hrvoje Tkalcic from the Australian National University, although the picture of the Earth's deep interior is becoming less blurred, scientists still do not understand the planet's interior of other terrestrial planets. In the new study, they focused on studying the interior of Mars, using waves from marsquakes recorded by the InSight seismometer.

It is no secret that our understanding of the solar system largely depends on our knowledge of the Earth, and vice versa - understanding our planetary neighbor, as scientists believe, will allow us to better understand the past of our own planet. To investigate this, Professors Sun and Tkalcic used low-frequency data from marsquakes recorded during NASA's InSight mission, which took place between 2018 and 2022, which aimed to study the crust, mantle and core of Mars..

The results of the study indicate that Mars actually exhibits significantly less tectonic activity compared to Earth, and therefore the magnitude of Marsquakes is significantly less than Earth tremors. Moreover, the location of the seismometer on the surface exposes it to diurnal winds, which, despite protective shielding, contribute to a significant reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio. As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that the Martian diotomy is largely due to mantle convection.

Previously, Focus wrote that scientists have identified a place on Mars where aliens can live.