While Earth and Mars are known for their intense surface quakes, other terrestrial bodies in our solar system also feature surface quakes — including the Moon. With NASA preparing to return humans to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program, scientists and engineers are developing methods to investigate the nature and frequency of moonquakes.
Much like earthquakes, moonquakes occur along active fault lines on the lunar surface. These fault lines are cracks in the Moon’s crust that form due to the Moon’s shrinking as its interior slowly cools. As the Moon contracts from this shrinking, these cracks move suddenly, creating moonquakes.