The moon is collapsing from long-lasting earthquakes – threats to astronauts

Its natural satellite Land He lost up to 100 meters in circumference Over the past hundreds of millions of years when its core cools.

This may seem like a gradual process, but contraction is of great importance Surface distortion In parts of the Moon's south pole – including proposed landing areas for the manned Artemis III module NASAsay researchers from the University of Maryland, as pointed out independent.

As the contraction of the moon accompanies it Seismic activityScientists warn that sites near fault zones could pose a danger to future explorers.

In the new study, researchers linked… Rifts in the Antarctic region The moon experienced one of the strongest lunar earthquakes recorded by seismometers Apollo 50 years ago, I found that certain areas of the Moon's south pole are particularly vulnerable to landslides caused by seismic tremors.

Lunarquakes last for hours

Such as earthquakes that occur on Earth Lunar earthquakes They result from cracks in the moon's interior and may be strong enough to cause them Damage to human structures and equipment On the moon, scientists say.

But unlike earthquakes, which last only a few seconds, moonquakes It can last for hourseven for an entire afternoon, meaning that these shallow earthquakes could destroy human settlements in the future.

This is due to the fact that the moon has Loose deposits on the surface They were formed billions of years ago from collisions between asteroids and comets.

“The surface of the moon Full of gravel and dust. Over billions of years, it has been battered by asteroids and comets, with fragments constantly being scattered from the collisions.” Nicholas Smyer of US National Air and Space Museumco-author of the study.

“As a result, surface material can range in size from a grain of dust to a large boulder, but everything is not well grounded. Loose sediments form Earthquakes and landslides are very likely“, explains Dr. Samir.