NASA's Moonquake Discovery Could Impact Future Lunar Missions

A recently published study reports that shaking from moonquakes, rather than impacts from meteoroids, was the main force behind the shifting terrain in the Taurus-Littrow valley, the site where Apollo 17 astronauts landed in 1972.

The researchers, Smithsonian Senior Scientist Emeritus Thomas R. Watters and University of Maryland Associate Professor of Geology Nicholas Schmerr, evaluated potential damage by applying updated models of lunar seismic activity, results that could influence how future missions and long-term settlements are planned on the moon.

Evidence collected during Apollo 17 revealed that boulder tracks and landslides appear to have been triggered by moonquakes, with the researchers estimating the strength of these past quakes and identifying the likely fault responsible for them.

The study indicates that moonquakes with magnitudes near 3.0 have repeatedly shaken the area over the last 90 million years, linked to the Lee-Lincoln fault, suggesting that this fault may still be active.

Watters noted that the global distribution of young thrust faults and their potential to form new faults should be considered when planning the location of permanent lunar outposts. The researchers assessed the risk of a damaging moonquake occurring near active lunar faults, estimating a one in 20 million chance on any given day, which, while small, becomes significant for long-term missions.

For example, a habitat or crewed mission lasting a decade could face a risk of about one in 5,500 for a hazardous moonquake. This research is part of a growing field known as lunar paleoseismology, which focuses on ancient seismic activity, and the findings were supported by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, launched on June 18, 2009.

As NASA advances its Artemis program, which aims to maintain a continuous human presence on the moon, it must account for hazards not encountered during the Apollo era, emphasizing careful planning in mission designs and locations to ensure astronaut safety, particularly avoiding construction on or near active faults.