Scientists Discover The Moon Surface Is More Active Than Ever Through Earthquakes

Scientists report that the moon is alive according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) recent findings. The photos showed that the Earth's satellite planet is continuously reshaping and molding into a new shape. 

Moonquakes on the Moon

New findings are released by NASA that proves that the Moon is not just a mere huge, empty rock in space. The Moon may have the capability to shape-shift without us knowing it is. 

According to the researchers and scientists from Brown University, they have found a new system of bizarre ridges in the moon and it is not only in one area. The ridges spread across the giant space rock. They also found out that there are fresh and newly molded boulders on the surface of that are forming that was not there before. 

The images NASA showed proves that the planet's crust shifts from time to time. The surface peels off itself. Also, scientists were also able to identify that the Moon is so much similar to Earth because it also experiences planet shakes, or what scientists would mostly call "moonquakes."

NASA's findings

The infrared moon images were captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. In the photos, one can see some barren spots on the Moon where grey dust appears. The grey dust is caused by the shifting movement on the Moon's surface. 

Although there is still no valid proof as to what caused the shakes, scientists believe that the shakes were caused by active tectonic shifts under the first layer. NASA is still looking into what is the cause of the order plate movement. 

Researchers' theories say that the tectonic movement might have been caused by a giant meteor strike which triggered the banks of lava to form on the surface. 

According to Peter Schultz, a professor from Brown University's Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, many studies assume that the Moon is a dead planet, however, they keep finding evidence that it is active and well. 

The new research study about the Moon and its tectonic movements was led by Schultz, and their findings were published in the journal Geology.

Schultz and his research team stated in the published journal that the Moon may still be "creaking and cracking" on its own tectonic plates underneath the surface. The theory came from the evidence of ridges on the surface that scientists believe it was just recently seen on the planet. 

The Moon

It is very rare to see the Moon with ridges and cracks. According to scientists, most of the Moon's surface is made of regolith, which is a powder blanket made up of rocks that have formed because of constant attacks of small meteorites. 

Seeing the ridges on the Moon only shows proof that there are shifting activities happening on the surface.

According to Schultz, the Moon had a few ridges in the past that are visible. However, those ridges were caused by lava-filled basins. 

In this new discovery, the ridges seen on NASA's images are more related to tectonic activity that lava formation.