The Moon is slowly shrinking, and that could spell trouble for future astronauts, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed Planetary Science Journal.
In this article, we'll go over the fascinating details of these findings, exploring the implications and the potential risks they present to human exploration efforts.
Image Credit: Oleg_Yakovlev/NASA via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci
The research team has unveiled a dynamic and seismically active landscape, particularly at the lunar south pole. The researchers shed light on the complex tectonic features and seismic activity of this area.
Why the Moon is Shrinking
The core of this phenomenon lies in the Moon's cooling interior. Over billions of years, the Moon has cooled and contracted. This contraction pulls the lunar surface inward, leading to the creation of 'lobate thrust fault scarps.'
Lobate scarps are essentially 'wrinkles' that appear on the Moon's surface as it shrinks, creating breaks known as thrust faults. When these faults move or new ones form, they cause moonquakes, shaking the ground tens of miles from the scarp.
This lunar lobate thrust fault scarp, seen in LROC images, acts like a lunar landscape stair-step, created as the moon's crust compresses and uplifts during contraction. It features boulder fields and bright soil patches on its face and back terrain, highlighted by white arrows. (Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University/Smithsonian)
These scarps are observed across various lunar terrains and serve as stark evidence of the Moon's ongoing contraction.
One particularly significant scarp, located near the proposed Artemis III mission landing site at the lunar south pole, not only illustrates this process but also marks the epicenter of one of the strongest moonquakes ever recorded. This finding underscores a crucial aspect of lunar shrinkage: it's not just a geological curiosity but a source of seismic activity that could pose risks to lunar explorers.
The Implications for Future Astronauts
The study's authors modelled the seismic activity that could result from the Moon's contraction and found that moonquakes—similar to earthquakes but on the Moon—could produce strong to moderate ground shaking. This seismic activity is not merely theoretical; the Apollo missions' seismometers recorded several such quakes, confirming the Moon's tectonic activity.
For astronauts, this means that the lunar surface is far from the stable, static environment it might seem from afar. Instead, it's a dynamic, evolving landscape where ground shaking from moonquakes could threaten the structural integrity of habitats, disturb the lunar regolith, and pose challenges to mission safety and success.
The presence of young fault scarps near the lunar south pole, observed in high-resolution images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, further highlights the Moon's dynamic nature. These findings serve as a reminder that the Moon, often perceived as an unchanging celestial body, is in fact constantly evolving.
As we prepare for a new era of lunar exploration, understanding the implications of the Moon's shrinkage is crucial. The dynamic seismic environment suggests that future lunar bases and outposts must be designed with these geological and tectonic processes in mind.
This includes considerations for building structures capable of withstanding moonquakes and selecting landing sites and outpost locations that minimize exposure to seismic risks.
Far from being mere footnotes in lunar science, the implications of lunar shrinkage and seismicity will play a critical role in ensuring the safety and success of human endeavors on the Moon.
If you are interested in more details about the research, be sure to check out the publication in the Planetary Science Journal, listed below.
Sources and further reading:
Tectonics and Seismicity of the Lunar South Polar Region (The Planetary Science Journal)
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