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Marsquake Is a Word (And I Hate It)
And so is moonquake, and perhaps even venusquake *gag*
Next time you find yourself sucked into an intense game of Scrabble, do not be afraid to throw down the word marsquake. It is a word. Sort of. It is the scientifically accepted word for a tectonic event that shakes the ground on Mars. That makes sense. Right?
Just a few months ago, probes on the surface of the Red Planet detected the strongest marsquake yet. The quake was an estimated magnitude 4.2 and was easily detected by nearby seismometers. Cool!
Mars is much less geologically active than Earth, but there are still things moving under the surface on our neighboring planet, and there is extensive evidence of past tectonic activity.
Despite the newness and coolness of the word marsquake, I have some gripes.
Endless variations
The problem with making the precedent for describing a tectonic event on another celestial body, Xquake where X represents the name of the body, is that it leaves you with an infinite number of variations and thus an endless number of words.
Moonquake. Marsquake. Venusquake. There is even a sunquake and a starquake. Do you see the problem here?
