Abstract
Global seismicity on all three solar system’s bodies with in situ
measurements — Earth, Moon, and Mars — is due mainly to Rieger
resonance (RR) of the solar wind’s macroscopic flapping, driven by the
well-known PRg=~154-days Rieger period and detected
commonly in most heliophysical data types and the interplanetary
magnetic field (IMF). Thus, spectra of InSight B/C-quality marsquakes
rates revealed PRg as the only 99%-significant spectral peak in the
1–6 months (385.8–64.3-nHz) band of highest planetary energies. While
a very high (>>12) fidelity Φ=2.8·10^6
characterizes PRg at Mars, modular 1/2PRg and 1/3PRg Rieger-type
periodicities are co-driving Martian seismicity, at 89%–67%
significance, and Φ>>12. A longer (v.9)
release of InSight raw data revealed the entire RR, excluding a
tectonically active Mars. Previous marsquakes studies showed a
preference for higher frequencies, localization, temporal (dusktime)
clustering, and annual variation — features that, taken together, are
typical of a forced resonator. For check, I analyze rates of Oct
2015–Feb 2019, Mw5.6+ earthquakes, and all the Apollo moonquakes. To
decouple magnetosphere and IMF effects, I analyze Earth and Moon
seismicity during traversals of the Earth magnetotail vs. IMF
separately. As shown with 99–67% confidence and
Φ>>12, an unspecified majority of Mw5.6+
earthquakes and moonquakes also recur at RR periodicities, while about
half of the spectral peaks split — but also into clusters that average
to RR components, where magnetotail reconnecting clears the signal. The
repeating of the Mars result for Earth and Moon means the solar wind
co-drives geophysics, selenophysics, and areophysics. Without getting
into causal mechanisms in detail, previous claims on solar wind/plasma
dynamics being seismogenic are confirmed. This result calls for a
reinterpretation of the seismicity phenomenon and reliance on global
magnitude scales. Predictability of the solar wind threat is beneficial
for physics-based seismic prediction and forecasting, and for the safety
of space missions and solar system installations.