Moonquakes: Understanding the Moon’s Tectonic Forces Could Protect Future Astronauts

As humanity looks to the Moon for scientific and economic opportunities in the years to come, it may become increasingly important to understand the potential dangers lurking on the lunar surface.

Ridges on the moon that signify moonquakes are the subject of a recent research paper, which looks at tectonic activity across the lunar seas, a vast network of dark plains resulting from ancient volcanic activity.

A team of researchers analyzed lunar formations called small sea ridges to create a global lunar map, the first of its kind. The article was originally published Dec. 24 in the Planetary Science Journal.

Cole Nypaver, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies and one of the paper’s authors, told CNET that the identified ridges were formed by faults in the lunar subsurface associated with moonquakes.

“While these moonquakes are potentially dangerous for long-term lunar exploration missions or permanent outposts, they also present fantastic opportunities to learn more about the Moon’s interior and how it formed,” Nypaver said.

The moon is shrinking

Another author of the paper is a scientist named Tom Watters. In 2010, Watters discovered that the Moon was slowly shrinking because its core was cooling.

The contraction of the Moon causes disturbances on its surface. The crust compresses and forces material up along faults, which creates ridges, similar to the way mountains form on Earth.

The most common of these ridges are called lobed scarps. They form on lunar highlands, which are the bright spots we see when we look at the Moon. But small sea ridges only form in lunar seas, which are the dark areas of the moon that contrast with the highlands.

This research is the first time scientists have documented lunar sea ridges. In doing so, we now have a more complete understanding of the Moon’s thermal and seismic history, which could give us a better idea of ​​possible moonquakes in the future.

“Our results represent the most comprehensive understanding to date of recent lunar tectonism,” Nypaver said. “The presence of these additional tectonic features in the lunar seas suggests that the Moon may have experienced greater global contraction in the recent past than previously thought.”

Lunar missions

Humans settling permanently on the lunar surface have gone from science fiction to real plans for the near future. from NASA Artemis II Mission is expected to launch in March at the earliest. And although this mission will only send astronauts into orbit around the Moon, future Artemis missions plan to land on the lunar surface and build permanent infrastructure there.

Nicholas Schmerr, a professor at the University of Maryland, helped NASA develop the lunar environmental monitoring station for Artemis 3, which the crew of the third Artemis mission, currently planned for 2028, will deliver to the Moon’s surface.

Schmerr told CNET that this instrument will detect seismic activity in the lunar south polar region.

“We will have a completely new picture of lunar seismic activity both at the South Pole and on the far side of the Moon,” Schmerr said.

LEMS-A3 is a station designed to be self-sustaining, and Schmerr will serve as the instrument’s deputy principal investigator for the mission. LEMS-A3 will assess “the tectonic seismicity of the region and any risks that moonquakes (or, for that matter, impacts) might pose to future, longer-lived infrastructure,” Schmerr said.

Setting up a store

NASA is not alone in seeking to maintain its lunar operations for the long term. A company called Interlune also wants set up mining operations on the Moon to extract helium-3, a valuable isotope that could be used to clean energy And quantum computers.

Elon Musk spoke build a moon base to launch AI satellites into orbit.

Becoming familiar with which areas of the moon are most likely to experience moonquakes could influence the decision of space agencies and private companies to build outposts in the future.

“There are several upcoming missions to the Moon that will carry dedicated seismometers in hopes of detecting a moonquake from a small sea ridge or an asteroid impact on the Moon,” Nypaver said. “By identifying a new population of tectonic features in lunar seas, our work provides additional targets for missions that seek to use moonquakes to better understand our nearest celestial neighbor.”