Resonances of the InSight Seismometer on Mars
K. Hurst, Lucile Fayon, Brigitte Knapmeyer‐Endrun, Cédric Schmelzbach, Martin van Driel, Joan Ervin, S. Kedar, W. T. Pike, S. B. Calcutt, T. Warren, Constantino Charalambous, Alexander Stott, M. Bierwirth, Philippe Lognonné, S. de Raucourt, T. Gabsi, T. Nebut, O. Robert, S. Tillier, Savas Ceylan, Maren Böse, John Clinton, Domenico Giardini, Anna Horleston, Taïchi Kawamura, Amir Khan, G. Orhand‐Mainsant, John‐Robert Scholz, Simon C. Stähler, Jennifer Stevanović, W. B. Banerdt
Abstract
ABSTRACT The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) seismometer was deployed to the surface of Mars in December 2018–February 2019. The specific deployment conditions, which are very different from those of a standard broadband instrument on the Earth, result in resonances caused by different parts of the sensor assembly (SA) that are recorded by the seismometer. Here, we present and characterize the resonances known to be present in the SA and their causes to aid interpretation of the seismic signals observed on Mars. Briefly, there are resonances in the SA at about 2.9, 5.3, 9.5, 12, 14, 23–28, and 51 Hz. We discuss various methods and tests that were used to characterize these resonances, and provide evidence for some of them in data collected on Mars. In addition to their relevance for the high frequency analysis of seismic data from InSight, specifically for phase measurements near the resonant frequencies, the tests and observations described here are also of potential use in the further development of planetary seismometers, for example, for Mars, the Moon, or Europa.