• Question: can the moon have "moon quakes" :D

    Asked by mayerar01 to Carol, Ellie, John, Philip, Rebecca on 3 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Carol White

      Carol White answered on 3 Jul 2012:

      Yes!!

      They can be pretty severe, so NASA are actually looking at “quake-proofing” their equipment!

      Like on Earth, they can be different types and sizes:
      1) deep moonquakes, about 700 km below the moon’s surface and thought to be related to tidal cycles
      2) moonquakes from meteorite impacts
      3) “thermal” moonquakes happen when the solid moon crust expands when sunlight returns to it and warms it up
      4) shallow moonquakes that are only 20 – 30 kilometers below the moon’s surface, and can be very very powerful

      Mars and Venus have quakes too, and so can the sun and other stars… cool.

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