Moon is shrinking as 1,114 new cracks are discovered. It is bad news for NASA's lunar bases

The moon is actively shrinking, leaving behind thousands of cracks on the surface. Scientists from the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies have discovered fresh cracks on the moon. They say that our satellite is reshaping itself, which basically means it is contracting. Moon is cooling from the inside, and consequently, its surface is getting smaller. Scientists have known about this occurrence since 2010. However, the cracks were only seen in the lunar highlands. But researchers have now seen them in another area called lunar maria. The region owes its birth to ancient volcanic eruptions that created large, dark, basaltic plains on the Moon. In the highlands, forces from compression of the moon's crust have pushed material upwards to create landforms known as "lobate scarps". Now, similar features have been seen throughout the lunar mare. Scientists have named the cracks small mare ridges (SMRs).

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How many new cracks were found on Moon?

Cole Nypaver, lead author of the study, said, "Since the Apollo era, we've known about the prevalence of lobate scarps throughout the lunar highlands, but this is the first time scientists have documented the widespread prevalence of similar features throughout the lunar mare." The team discovered a total of 1,114 SMRs, bringing the total number of cracks found on the moon to 2,634. Researchers say that SMRs are older than lobate scarps, with the former being 124 million years old and the scarps around 105 million years old. "Our detection of young, small ridges in the maria, and our discovery of their cause, completes a global picture of a dynamic, contracting moon,' said Tom Watters, who discovered the cracks in 2010. This makes them some of the youngest geological features on the moon when compared to other structures.

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Moonquakes are a threat to human missions

However, this means that the moon is witnessing quakes, or moonquakes. Tectonic activity on the lunar surface might not be good news for humans who are planning to build colonies there. Nypaver is hopeful that the upcoming Artemis and other lunar exploration missions will gather data on these moonquakes, which can help make future missions safer. "Upcoming lunar exploration programs, such as Artemis, will provide a wealth of new information about our moon. A better understanding of lunar tectonics and seismic activity will directly benefit the safety and scientific success of those and future missions," he said. NASA is planning to return astronauts to the moon in February this year, and land them on the surface by 2028.