{"id":2294,"date":"2026-09-11T03:01:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/?p=2294"},"modified":"2026-09-11T03:04:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:04:35","slug":"a-restless-moon-scientists-are-studying-the-seismic-and-volcanic-activity-of-earths-satellite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/2026\/09\/11\/a-restless-moon-scientists-are-studying-the-seismic-and-volcanic-activity-of-earths-satellite\/","title":{"rendered":"A Restless Moon: Scientists are studying the seismic and volcanic activity of Earth’s satellite"},"content":{"rendered":"

China’s Chang’e-5 mission returned evidence that as recently as 120 million years ago, the Moon had active volcanoes, and some may still be active. Another study found that lunar earthquakes are rare, with the most powerful, around magnitude 5.0, occurring near the surface. Unlike earthquakes on Earth, which last from tens of seconds to minutes, lunar earthquakes can last for hours, enough to damage or topple structures, destabilize launch vehicles on the surface, or disrupt ground operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

According to data obtained in December 2020 by China’s Chang’e 5 sample return mission to Earth, volcanoes on the lunar surface erupted in geologically recent times, and the Moon may remain volcanically active today.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s known that the Moon had a volcano in the distant past because we see evidence of it literally everywhere on the face of our closest neighbor\u2014the dark marks of the famous “man on the Moon”\u2014are lunar maria, vast volcanic plains that existed between three and 3.8 billion years ago. This was believed to be the last time the Moon was volcanically active.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, surprisingly, the Chang’e-5 probe returned evidence to Earth that volcanic eruptions on the Moon occurred much more recently\u2014only 123 million years ago, with a margin of error of 15 million years. The Chang’e-5 research results were published on September 5, 2024, in the journal Science.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nA close-up of the sample container on China’s Chang’e-5 lunar lander during sample collection operations on December 1, 2020. CNSA\/CCTV<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

By human standards, this still seems like a very long time ago, but from a geological perspective, it was quite recent. This means the Moon may have been volcanically active throughout its life and may remain so today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Evidence of recent volcanic activity has been found in three tiny glass beads\u2014just three of 3,000 in a sample collected by Chang’e-5. A team of researchers led by Bi-Wen Wang and Qian Zhang of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing carefully analyzed 1.7 grams of lunar dust collected by Chang’e-5, searching for these “needles in a haystack.” Glass beads, measuring just 20 to 400 microns in size, can form as a result of a powerful asteroid impact, melting and compressing rocks, turning them into glass. Indeed, these impact-formed beads make up the vast majority of beads in the sample\u2014unsurprising, given the number of impacts visible as craters on the Moon. But there’s another way these beads could form.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nTechnicians remove a sample container from China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft, which returned lunar dust and rocks to Earth in December 2020. National Astronomical Observatories, Canadian Astronomical Association<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

“Magma fountains produce volcanic glass, which has previously been detected in lunar surface samples,” Wang and Zhang’s team wrote in their research paper. While volcanic glass beads have certainly been found on the Moon before, they were always formed by magmatic eruptions billions of years ago. However, by landing in a region rich in volcanic domes called Mons R\u00fcmker in the Ocean of Storms (Oceanus Procellarum), Chang’e-5 discovered three truly special glass beads, which it returned to Earth on December 16, 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Uranium-lead dating of three volcanic glass beads indicates that they formed 123 million \u00b115 million years ago,” wrote Wang and Zhang from their team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uranium-lead dating involves measuring the radioactive decay of uranium into lead in rock samples over a million years old. Generally, the higher the lead-to-uranium ratio, the older the sample must be for all the uranium to decay into lead. Conversely, the lower the lead-to-uranium ratio, the younger the sample.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further supporting these findings is the fact that this isn’t the first evidence of geologically recent volcanism on the Moon. In 2014, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) photographed nearly 70 bizarre features on the Moon’s surface called irregular maria, better known by the catchy acronym “IMPs.” In fact, the first IMP was photographed from lunar orbit in 1971 by NASA astronauts on the Apollo 15 mission, but the feature was unrecognized at the time. IMPs appear as smooth, round, shallow hills adjacent to areas of rocky, chaotic terrain located downslope. These features, on average less than a third of a mile across, are found on volcanic plains, and at least some of them appear to be less than 100 million years old, and possibly even less than 50 million years old. These age estimates are based on crater counts\u2014the more craters a surface has, the older it is, while smooth slopes are relatively undisturbed.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the IMP particles provide compelling evidence of recent volcanism, the glass beads provide irrefutable evidence. However, models of the moon’s thermal evolution suggest that its interior should have cooled long after its formation 4.5 billion years ago. Simply put, the moon’s interior temperature should not be high enough to support volcanic activity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThis image taken on December 17, 2020, in Inner Mongolia Province, China, shows the Chinese Chang-5 space capsule returning with lunar rock samples after landing. CASC<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

“We measured high contents of rare earth elements and thorium in these volcanic glass spherules, which may indicate that such recent volcanism was associated with local enrichment of mantle-derived magma sources in heat-producing elements,” write Wang and Zhang from their group.<\/span><\/p>\n

These elements, such as potassium, phosphorus, yttrium, and lanthanum, can release heat through radioactive decay, which could be enough to melt rocks in the lunar mantle, at least locally, which could lead to small eruptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

For decades, there have been reports of “transient lunar events” (TLEs)\u2014ghostly, colored hazes appearing over the lunar landscape. Their existence is highly controversial, as they have not been observed by space probes, only by amateur astronomers on Earth. While many lunar scientists dismissed TLEs, attributing them to unfavorable atmospheric conditions above the observation site on Earth or even simply misidentification by the observer, one possible explanation was volcanic outgassing. This seemed unlikely due to the then-existing consensus on the Moon’s volcanic inertia, but new data obtained by the Chang’e-5 spacecraft and confirmed by LRO observations of IMPs (ion-magnetic particles) raise the possibility of volcanic outgassing on the Moon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lunar glows lasting several minutes may be caused by radon emissions from the Moon’s interior. Two studies published in 2008 and 2009 in The Astrophysical Journal suggest that such gas emissions occur when gas accumulated beneath the Moon’s surface is explosively released by factors such as “moonquakes.”<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On the night of April 19, 1787, astronomer William Herschel noticed a light lasting several hours and comparable in brightness to the Orion Nebula, emanating from the unlit new moon. He likely witnessed a “transient lunar phenomenon” (TLP)\u2014a brief change in the appearance of part of the lunar surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

Transiently occurring light defects (TLPs) include brightening, reddish or purple spots, and hazy regions. According to Anthony Cook, a research fellow in the Department of Physics at Aberystwyth University in the UK, approximately 3,000 TLPs have been documented over the past two millennia, detected by people using telescopes, cameras, or simply good eyesight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultrafast flashes of light\u2014those lasting less than a minute\u2014are likely caused by meteoroid impacts. Meteoroids weighing more than 0.2 kilograms (about the size of a billiard ball) produce fleeting flashes of light when they strike the lunar surface. The flashes themselves are caused by the energy of the impacts, which heats up rocks on the lunar surface, causing them to glow until they cool.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nA map of all flashes from meteorite impacts on the Moon recorded over the past nine years by the Greek NELIOTA program. This program was developed to monitor meteorite impacts on the Moon to protect orbiting satellites and future lunar bases.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Although such lunar impact flashes (LIFs) had long been suspected of being scintillations, scientists were unable to definitively identify them until the 1990s, when high-speed video cameras became widely available for observing the Moon, Yanagisawa said. Even then, the short duration of the flashes meant that factors such as electrical interference within the cameras could not be ruled out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, confirming a flare required simultaneous observations from two or more distant locations. Some flares were first confirmed during the Leonid meteor shower in November 1999.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, hundreds of other laser flashes have been officially recorded by projects such as the European Space Agency-funded NELIOTA (Near-Earth Object Lunar Impacts and Optical Transients) program. Over nine years, NELIOTA has recorded 193 laser flashes, and a map of these flashes suggests they originate in specific hotspots, such as the Oceanus Procellarum, a lunar region potentially tectonically active.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project’s leader, Alexios Liakos, a researcher at the National Observatory of Athens, stated that this apparent pattern is the result of observational error. In fact, a 2024 study he co-authored showed that the Moon is exposed to a nearly uniform meteoroid impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nVideo footage of the flash upon impact with the Moon; the flickering is visible in the upper right corner of the frame. NELIOTA<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Conversely, lunar auroras lasting a few minutes may be caused by the release of radon from the Moon’s interior. Two studies published in 2008 and 2009 in The Astrophysical Journal suggest that such outgassing occurs when gas accumulated beneath the Moon’s surface is explosively released by factors such as “moonquakes.” Radioactive radon emits light as it decays, making it visible from Earth. Furthermore, locations where longer-lasting auroras have been observed largely coincide with areas with high radon concentrations.<\/span><\/p>\n

But some lunar lights\u2014like those observed by Herschel\u2014last for hours. According to a 2012 study, such observations may be indirectly related to the Moon. The study proposed that the solar wind\u2014a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun\u2014ionizes lunar dust particles, ejecting them into huge clouds 100 kilometers high. These clouds can refract light from stars or other bright objects that appear close to the Moon in the sky, presumably illuminating the lunar surface.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Scientists have been able to process massive amounts of data obtained during the Apollo missions and other lunar probes to gain a clearer understanding of the Moon’s interior structure. In 2011, NASA research revealed that the Moon’s outer core is composed of liquid iron and forms a distinct, partially molten layer where it meets the mantle. The study also hinted that the Moon’s inner core may be iron-based.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The first indications that the Moon has an Earth-like internal structure came from NASA’s Apollo missions. Data collected by instruments on the lunar landers indicated that the celestial body is differentiated\u2014or composed of layered regions with denser material in the center and less dense material closer to the surface\u2014as opposed to homogeneous rock throughout. Apollo astronauts even left seismometers on the Moon, which, according to NASA, later showed that lunar earthquakes were occurring there. A team of researchers from the University of the C\u00f4te d’Azur and the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Computations (IMCCE) in France published their findings on May 3, 2023, in the journal Nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study confirmed the existence of this dense inner core. Using a detailed computer model based on geological data from the Apollo program and NASA’s GRAIL mission, in which a pair of probes monitored the Moon’s gravitational field for over a year, the researchers determined that the inner core’s diameter is approximately 310 miles (500 km), or just 15% of the Moon’s width. This small size, the researchers believe, likely explains why it has been so difficult for scientists to detect.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nAn illustration of the Moon’s newly confirmed internal structure, showing a thin crust, a very thick mantle, a low-viscosity zone at the mantle-core boundary, a liquid outer core, and a solid inner core. Geoazure\/Nicholas Sarter<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Furthermore, the study revealed the first evidence of mantle inversion on the Moon\u2014a process in which warmer molten material rises through the mantle, like drops of wax in a lava lamp. The researchers believe this could explain the presence of iron on the Moon’s surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

A deeper understanding of the Moon’s internal structure could help scientists unravel its geological mysteries, such as what happened to the once-powerful lunar magnetic field. Although the Moon currently lacks a magnetic field, rock samples indicate that it was once comparable to Earth’s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seismometers placed on the surface of the Moon by Apollo astronauts have shown that lunar earthquakes occur on the Moon.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Deep lunar earthquakes, occurring hundreds of kilometers beneath the lunar surface, are tidal events\u2014they are caused by the pull of Earth’s gravity, which stretches the Moon’s internal structures. Another type of lunar earthquake is caused by the Moon’s contraction as it cools\u2014a process that has been ongoing since the Moon’s formation nearly 4.5 billion years ago. These lunar earthquakes occur at moderately shallow depths of 20-30 kilometers, can reach a staggering magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale, and last more than 10 minutes. Meteoroid impacts with the Moon can cause lunar earthquakes occurring on or near the lunar surface. Another type of extremely shallow lunar earthquake can be caused by thermal expansion and compression of rocks on or near the surface during the transition from a cold lunar night to a very hot lunar day, according to NASA.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nA fault ridge along the wall of Slipher Crater, near the north pole of the Moon. The cliff is approximately 20 meters (65 feet) high, nearly the height of a five-story building. This image of Slipher Crater was created by compiling images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LRC) into high-resolution topographic maps called digital elevation models (DEMs). Software can be used to view the DEMs from any perspective. NASA\/GSFC\/Arizona State University.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Fractures in the lunar crust observed by Apollo astronauts and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate that the Moon has shrunk in size in the geologically recent past and is likely still shrinking today. The Moon formed in a chaotic environment of intense asteroid and meteor bombardment. These impacts, along with the decay of radioactive elements, made the Moon hot. Since its formation, the Moon has been cooling. As it cools, it contracts, and its fragile surface fractures, forming thrust faults where portions of the crust break away and protrude over other portions. Scientists estimate that over the past several hundred million years, the Moon’s diameter has decreased by approximately 150 feet (50 meters).<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nAstronaut Buzz Aldrin deploys a seismic experiment during the Apollo 11 lunar walk. The experiment included four seismometers powered by two solar panels. NASA<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Lunar compression causes lunar earthquakes and faults near the Moon’s south pole. Shallow lunar earthquakes, capable of causing strong oscillations of the Earth’s surface in the south polar region, are possible as a result of strike-slip events on existing faults or the formation of new thrust faults.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As NASA continues to move toward sending astronauts to the lunar south pole as part of its Artemis campaign, data from a NASA-funded study is helping scientists better understand this strategically important part of the moon. The study provides evidence that lunar earthquakes and faults, which occur as the moon’s interior gradually cools and contracts, are also found near and within some areas the agency has identified as potential landing sites for Artemis III, the first Artemis mission planned for a human landing on the moon, according to NASA’s press office.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThis image shows predicted zones of slope instability in the south polar region. The models are based on a one-meter (about 3.3 feet) thick regolith landslide. Blue dots represent the least unstable slopes, green dots represent moderately unstable slopes, and red dots represent the most unstable slopes. The image is centered on Shackleton Crater and the lunar south pole. The locations of the proposed Artemis III landing sites are shown as blue rectangles. The model predicts that large sections of the inner walls of Shackleton Crater are susceptible to landslides (inset), as are sections of the inner crater walls at the Nobile Rim 1 landing zone. NASA\/LROC\/ASU\/Smithsonian Institution<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

“Our modeling suggests that shallow lunar earthquakes capable of generating strong ground motion in the south polar region are possible as a result of strike-slip events on existing faults or the formation of new thrust faults,” said Tom Watters of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., lead author of a paper on the study published January 25, 2024, in the journal Planetary Science. “Planning the placement and stability of permanent outposts on the Moon should consider the global distribution of young thrust faults, their potential activity, and the potential for new thrust fault formation as a result of ongoing global compression.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) camera, aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, has discovered thousands of relatively small, young thrust faults widespread in the lunar crust. These scarps are rock-like landforms resembling small steps on the lunar surface. They form where compressional forces tear the crust and push or push it from one side of the fault upward and over the other. The compression is caused by the cooling of the still-hot lunar interior and tidal forces exerted by Earth, leading to global shrinkage.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nLobe scarps form when the lunar crust is compressed by lunar compression. This causes near-surface layers to rupture, creating thrust faults. A thrust fault lifts crustal material and sometimes overlies adjacent layers. Slips along existing faults or the formation of new thrust faults cause shallow lunar earthquakes, which can lead to strong seismic vibrations tens of kilometers away from the scarp. Arizona State University\/Smithsonian Institution<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The formation of faults is accompanied by seismic activity in the form of shallow lunar earthquakes. These shallow lunar earthquakes were recorded by the Apollo passive seismic network, a series of seismometers deployed by Apollo astronauts. The strongest shallow lunar earthquake recorded had an epicenter in the south polar region. The study modeled a young thrust fault scarp located within the de Gerlache 2 margin, the proposed landing zone for the Artemis III mission, and showed that the formation of this fault scarp could have been associated with a lunar earthquake of the magnitude recorded.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The team also modeled the stability of surface slopes in the Moon’s south polar region and found that some areas are susceptible to regolith landslides even from weak seismic vibrations, including areas in some permanently shadowed regions. These areas are of interest due to the potential resources they contain, such as ice.<\/span><\/p>\n

“To better understand the seismic hazard posed by future human activity on the Moon, we need new seismic data not only at the South Pole but also globally,” said Renee Weber, a co-author of the paper from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “Mission missions like the Farside Seismic Suite will expand on the measurements taken during the Apollo program and add to our knowledge of global seismicity.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nA mosaic image of the Wiechert lobate scarp cluster (left-pointing arrows) near the lunar south pole, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) and the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC). The scarp, formed by a thrust fault, intersects a collapse crater approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) in diameter (right-pointing arrow). NASA\/LRO\/LROC\/ASU\/Smithsonian<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

“The LRO project aims to obtain data on the lunar surface to help scientists understand important features like thrust faults,” said Maria Banks, LRO deputy project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and a co-author of the paper. “This study is a good demonstration of one of the many ways LRO data can be used to plan our return to the Moon.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This research was funded by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, which launched on June 18, 2009. Through the Artemis missions, NASA explores the Moon to make scientific discoveries, advance technology, and learn about how to live and work on another world in preparation for human missions to Mars.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe epicenter of one of the strongest lunar earthquakes recorded by the Apollo passive seismic experiment was located at the lunar south pole. However, the precise location of the epicenter could not be determined. The location cloud (purple dots and light blue polygon) of a large shallow lunar earthquake, obtained using a relocation algorithm specifically adapted for very sparse seismic networks, is distributed near the pole. Blue rectangles indicate the locations of proposed Artemis III landing zones. Scarps in the form of lobate thrust faults are shown as small red lines. The epicenter location cloud covers a number of lobate scarps and many Artemis III landing zones. NASA\/LROC\/ASU\/Smithsonian Institution<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Scientists are working on methods to determine the frequency of lunar earthquakes along active faults.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Faults are cracks in the lunar crust, indicating that the Moon is slowly shrinking as its interior cools over time. This shrinkage, caused by the Moon’s shrinking size, causes the faults to suddenly shift, generating earthquakes. Between 1969 and 1977, a network of seismometers deployed by Apollo astronauts on the lunar surface recorded thousands of vibrations from lunar earthquakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lunar earthquakes are rare; the most powerful, with magnitudes around 5.0, occur near the surface. These types of earthquakes are much weaker than powerful terrestrial earthquakes (magnitude 7.0 and above) and pose little danger to astronauts during missions lasting only a few days. However, their impact on long-term structures on the lunar surface can be significant. Unlike an earthquake, which lasts tens of seconds to minutes, a lunar earthquake can last for hours, enough to damage or topple structures, destabilize launch vehicles on the surface, or disrupt operations on the surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

“The likelihood of danger increases significantly depending on how close your infrastructure is to an active fault,” said Thomas Watters, a senior fellow emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington.<\/span><\/p>\n

Watters is a longtime lunar geology researcher and co-investigator for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Recently, he and Nicholas Schmerr, a planetary seismologist at the University of Maryland, College Park, developed a new method for estimating seismic magnitudes by analyzing evidence of boulder displacement and landslides in the area, which the scientists reported on July 30, 2025, in the journal Science Advances. Such research could help NASA plan for safer locations for lunar assets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike an earthquake, which lasts tens of seconds to minutes, a lunar earthquake can last for hours, enough to damage or topple structures, destabilize launch vehicles on the surface, or disrupt ground operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are thousands of faults on the Moon that may still be active and causing earthquakes. Watters and his team identified these faults by analyzing data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been orbiting the Moon since 2009, mapping the surface and taking images that provide unprecedented detail of features such as faults, boulders, and landslides.<\/span><\/p>\n

For this study, Watters and Schmerr decided to analyze surface changes caused by earthquakes triggered by the Lee-Lincoln Fault in the Taurus-Littrow Valley. NASA astronauts on the Apollo 17 mission, which landed approximately 6 kilometers west of the fault on December 11, 1972, explored the fault’s vicinity during their mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThis 1972 image shows Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt taking a sample from a boulder at the base of the Northern Massif in the Taurus-Littrow Valley on the Moon. This large boulder is believed to have been displaced by a major lunar earthquake that occurred approximately 28.5 million years ago. The earthquake likely originated from a seismic event along the Lee-Lincoln Fault. The image was taken by astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, commander of the Apollo 17 mission. NASA\/JSC\/ASU<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

By studying boulder falls and a landslide thought to be caused by ground shaking near the Lee Lincoln Fault, Watters and Schmerr calculated that a magnitude 3.0 lunar earthquake\u2014similar to a relatively small earthquake\u2014occurs along the Lee Lincoln Fault about every 5.6 million years.<\/span><\/p>\n

“One of the lessons we learn from studying the Lee-Lincoln fault is that many similar faults have likely experienced multiple earthquakes spanning millions of years,” Schmerr said. “This means they are potentially still active today and could continue to generate new lunar earthquakes in the future.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The authors chose the Lee-Lincoln Fault for their study because it offered a unique advantage: Apollo 17 astronauts brought back boulder samples from the area. By studying these samples in laboratories, the scientists were able to measure changes in the boulders’ chemical composition caused by exposure to cosmic radiation over time (the boulder’s surface is exposed immediately after the breakaway of a larger rock that would otherwise protect it).<\/span><\/p>\n

Information about cosmic radiation exposure helped researchers determine how long the boulders had been in their current locations, which in turn helped estimate the likely timing and frequency of earthquakes along the Lee-Lincoln Fault.<\/span><\/p>\n

Apollo 17 astronauts examined boulders at the base of two mountains in a valley. The marks left behind indicated that the boulders could have rolled down the slope after being broken off by a lunar earthquake on a fault. Using the dimensions of each boulder, Watters and Schmerr estimated the strength of the ground shaking and the magnitude of the earthquake that would have caused the boulders to break off.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThis mosaic of the Taurus-Littrow Valley was created using images from the narrow-angle cameras aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The orbiter has been orbiting and studying the Moon since 2009. The ancient, lava-filled valley is crossed by the Lee-Lincoln thrust fault, visible as a sinuous white line extending from the South Massif (mountain in the lower left) to the North Massif (mountain in the upper center), where the fault abruptly changes direction and intersects the slope of the North Massif. The Lee-Lincoln fault has been the source of numerous strong lunar earthquakes, causing landslides and rock falls on both the North and South Massifs. The approximate landing site of Apollo 17 is marked with a white “x” to the right of the fault. NASA\/Arizona State University\/Smithsonian Institution<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The research team also estimated the magnitude of the seismic vibrations and earthquakes required to trigger a major landslide that caused rapid movement of soil across the valley floor, suggesting that this event caused the rupture that formed the Lee-Lincoln Fault.<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking all these factors into account, Watters and Schmerr calculated that the odds that an earthquake would have occurred on any given day during the Apollo 17 astronauts’ stay there were 1 in 20 million, the authors noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

NASA also plans to send more seismometers to the Moon. First, the Farside Seismic Suite will deliver two sensitive seismometers to the Schr\u00f6dinger Basin on the far side of the Moon aboard a lunar lander as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. NASA is also developing a payload called the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station for potential launch on NASA’s Artemis III mission to the South Pole region. Led by Schmerr, this payload will assess seismic risks for future human and robotic missions to the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/i> Comment on Facebook* The owner of the Meta company is recognized as extremist in Russia and is banned.<\/span><\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

China’s Chang’e-5 mission returned evidence that as recently as 120 million years ago, the Moon had active volcanoes, and some may still be active. Another study found that lunar earthquakes are rare, with the most powerful, around magnitude 5.0, occurring near the surface. Unlike earthquakes on Earth, which last from tens of seconds to minutes, lunar earthquakes can last for hours, enough to damage or topple structures, destabilize launch vehicles on the surface, or disrupt ground operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[541,40],"tags":[740,1018,732],"class_list":{"0":"post-2294","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-moon","8":"category-kosmos","9":"tag-earthquakes","10":"tag-faults","11":"tag-volcanoes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2298,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294\/revisions\/2298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}