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Moonquakes are much more common than thought, Apollo data suggest

Understanding how the moon moves and shakes could help us better prepare for trips there

An Apollo 11 astronaut places a seismometer on the surface of the moon.

The first lunar seismometer was placed on the moon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission.

NASA

By Lisa Grossman

A new look at decades-old data from the Apollo missions has uncovered evidence of tens of thousands of previously unrecognized moonquakes. The results could reveal details about the moon’s inner workings and could have implications for future human missions.

“There were more tectonic events on the moon, it’s more tectonically active than considered before,” says planetary seismologist Keisuke Onodera of the University of Tokyo.