Moon's Hidden Fractures: 10,000 Young Faults Signal Ongoing Shrinkage and Seismic Risk for Artemis

Moon's Hidden Fractures: 10,000 Young Faults Signal Ongoing Shrinkage and Seismic Risk for Artemis

High-resolution NASA imagery has uncovered over 10,000 young thrust faults on the Moon, revealing 42-46 meters of radius shrinkage in the past 400 million years. The findings raise new concerns about moonquakes and landslides near proposed Artemis landing sites. Ongoing contraction continues to reshape the lunar surface.

The Moon Is Shrinking: Thousands of Fractures Point to Ongoing Geological Activity

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LROC) has captured more than 10,000 linear fractures across the lunar surface. These are not the static remnants of ancient impacts, but active faults-some of them geologically young-that signal a slow, physical contraction of the Moon. According to research led by planetary geologist Thomas Waters of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and published in The Planetary Science Journal, the Moon's radius …

NASA Images Reveal 10,000 Young Faults on the Moon. That’s a Problem

Unlike Earth’s multi-plate surface, the Moon is a single chunk—an “unbroken shell” where over 10,000 young faults can erupt into moonquakes at any time.