Planetary Physics

Planetary seismology aims at the internal structure, composition and seismic source process of other rocky bodies (planets and their satellites) in the solar system using seismological methods and planetary seismic data transmited to the Earth. Comparing with earthquake seismology, planetary seismology offers greater challenges with the limited amount of seismic data due to few available stations and less active seismicity and with the low data quality due to severe observation environments. Planetary seismology provides information for understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system, as well as for the design and implementation of space exploration in the future. The successful deployment of the first seismometer on the Moon in July 1969 by the Apollo 11 mission marked the beginning of planetary seismology. Studies of the lunar seismic data obtained during the Apollo program revealed fundamental and unique information about the Moon’s internal structure. In November 2018, the "InSight" spacecraft landed on Mars and deployed the first seismic station on the Martian surface. Analyses of the returned Martian seismic data have begun to provide the interior structure and seismic activity of Mars for the first time and bring the frontier of planetary seismology into a new stage. Faculty members in planetary seismology include

 

Wang, Yanbin


  Planetary Seismology. Interests include the following problems. Developed a hybrid algorithm based on pseudo-spectral and finite difference method for seismic wavefield modelling in complex rocky bodies of the solar system. Explained the possible mechanism for the strong coda observed in lunar seismic data. Estimated the strength of random scattering in the upper lunar crust. Analyzed the effects of drastic lateral variation of lunar crust on wave propagation. Analyzed the effects of Martian crust on surface wave propagation.

  

Martian crustal thickness, 2D profile (crust3)crossing the landing site (red triangle) of “InSight” and propagation of seismic wave from marsquake along this profile(Wang et al., EGU, 2020).

 

Ge, Zengxi


  Planetary Seismology. I am interested in simulating the effect of the topography on seismic waves propagating in the Moon and the Mars with 3D Boundary Element Method as well as the determination of source mechanisms with limited stations.