Moonquakes are much more common than thought
Scientists have generated the first global map of fault scarps in the Moon's dark basaltic plains, known as "maria," revealing that tectonic activity in these regions is much more widespread than previously estimated.
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- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 11:56 | 26 February 2026
The research determined that some of these scarps date back to a very recent geological past, only a few tens of millions of years ago.
The data obtained indicate that the Moon as a whole continues to slowly cool and shrink.
This process creates wrinkles on the lunar surface, similar to how the surface of a drying apple wrinkles.
The dark basaltic plains, which are a primary target for future lunar missions and potential long-term bases, are understood not to be as geologically quiescent as previously thought.
Cole Nypaver, a geologist from the Smithsonian Institution, stated that while the existence of lobate scarps in the lunar highlands has been known since the Apollo era, this is the first time similar features have been so widely documented in the maria plains.
This study provides a global perspective on the Moon's internal structure, thermal history, and seismic activity.
Although the Moon does not have active tectonic plates like Earth, it continues to generate seismic activity due to its cooling interior since its formation approximately 4.5 billion years ago.
Researchers used high-resolution images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to identify 1,114 new scarp segments that had not been previously documented. This brings the total number of segments identified across the Moon to 2,634.
To determine the age of the faults, the team analyzed the surrounding crater density and found that these scarps formed approximately between 310 million and 50 million years ago.
The youngest scarp was determined to be approximately 52 million years old, and the average age showed similarities with fault lines in the highlands. This proves that the same global stresses shaped both lunar terrains.
Geologist Tom Watters stated that this discovery completes a picture of a dynamic and shrinking Moon. The prevalence of seismically active features in the maria plains presents both new opportunities and risks for future lunar missions.
It is emphasized that shallow moonquakes, in particular, could pose a serious danger to human-made infrastructure to be established on the lunar surface.