Regions at the Moon’s south pole, including areas proposed by NASA for future human landings, are subject to regular seismic tremors caused by the gradual compression of the Earth’s moon. Placing bases in these areas could prove disastrous for colonists and render questionable human efforts to explore the moon. This was discovered by a group of scientists from the USA.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, astronauts on the Apollo missions studied the Moon using seismometers and learned that it was seismically active: the crew recorded seismic vibrations of the lunar surface. It turned out that moonquakes, similar to earthquakes, occur on the Earth’s satellite. They’re just much weaker on the Moon, but they also last longer. They can last for hours or even all day. Earthquakes usually last from a few seconds to a few minutes.

Soon, scientists learned that moonquakes can occur for various reasons: due to a sharp drop in the temperature of the lunar surface during sunrise and sunset (thermal); due to the fall of meteorites (meteorite); Due to the influence of tidal forces (tide) of the Sun and the Earth.

Another reason is shocks occurring near the surface. These are tectonic moonquakes caused by shifts in shallow layers of the lunar crust (between 100 and 160 kilometers). During the Apollo missions, astronauts recorded 28 tectonic earthquakes, one measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale. This is enough to cause damage to homes, equipment and other man-made structures.

The probe’s camera in 2010 NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) 14 previously unknown relief formations were recorded on the surface of the Moon – blade protrusions. They arose as a result of tectonic faults in the lunar crust, and their individual sections pushed neighbors. At the time, scientists assumed that the bulges formed less than a billion years ago as a result of slow cooling and compression of the Earth’s moon.

In subsequent studies, experts showed that these protrusions are found all over the Moon, including the south polar region, the planned landing site of the Artemis III astronauts and the surrounding areas.

In a new study, a group of scientists from the University of Maryland (USA) conducted a series of simulations to identify areas of the moon that pose the greatest danger to future colonists and to predict the threats humans might face there. The results of the study were published in the journal Planetary Science.

Scientists have learned that the compression of the Moon continues to this day, leading to a noticeable change in relief. For example, researchers determined that a group of blade ridges found in parts of the Moon’s south pole, including areas where astronauts were planned to land, were the result of one of the strongest lunoearthquakes recorded by the Apollo missions’ seismometers. More than 50 years ago.

“Our simulations show that tremors occurring near the surface could trigger a strong moonquake in the south polar region, possibly as a result of displacement of existing tectonic faults or formation of new ones,” explained Thomas Waters, lead author of the study.Thomas Watters).

Waters’ team learned that underground tremors would impact steep slopes, causing regolith to shift and rocks to fall, especially from the walls of impact craters. All this could cause great harm to future lunar settlers and make the exploration of the moon difficult for a person.

The authors noted that when planning the construction of lunar bases, engineers should consider the distribution of young tectonic faults and their potential hazards. To have such information, it is necessary to create a detailed map of the Moon’s geology and seismic activity, something the Waters group is currently doing.