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Scientists have compiled the first map of fault ridges in the Moon's basaltic plains. The lunar maria were formed by lava flowing into ancient impact basins, and these findings reveal that lunar tectonic activity is more widespread, and more recent, than previously thought. The Moon doesn't have tectonic plates that move like the Earth's, but it does have its own internal activity. Surface features such as lobate scarps are evidence of thrust faults created by global contraction. That's right. The Moon is shrinking, wrinkling up its surface. And when those faults slip, they trigger moonquakes. "The widespread presence of recently or currently seismically active tectonic features across the maria provides new opportunities for future lunar missions and investigations. The distribution of SMRs may also be of relevance to any long-term lunar habitation due to the hazards that shallow moonquakes pose to human-made infrastructure," the researchers write.
