Temporal Variation and Frequency Dependence of Seismic Ambient Noise on Mars From Polarization Analysis

Abstract

We applied a polarization analysis of InSight seismic data to estimate the temporal variation and frequency dependence of the Martian ambient noise field. Low-frequency (<1 Hz) P waves show a diurnal variation in their dominant back azimuths that are apparently related to wind and the direction of sunlight in a distant area. Low-frequency Rayleigh waves (0.25–1 Hz) show diurnal variations and a dominant back azimuth related to the wind direction in a nearby area. Low-frequency signals that are derived mainly from wind may be sensitive to subsurface structure deeper than the lithological boundary derived from an autocorrelation analysis. On the other hand, dominant back azimuths of high-frequency (>1 Hz) waves point toward the InSight lander, especially in daytime, indicating that wind-induced lander noise is dominant at high frequencies. These results point to the presence of several ambient noise sources as well as geologic structure at the landing site.