https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scientists-tectonic-moon.html Phys.org Topics * Week's top * Latest news * Unread news * Subscribe [ ] Science X Account [ ] [ ] Sign In Sign in with Forget Password? Not a member? Sign up Learn more * Nanotechnology * Physics * Earth * Astronomy & Space * Chemistry * Biology * Other Sciences * Medical Xpress Medicine * Tech Xplore Technology * * share this! * 53 * Tweet * Share * Email 1. Home 2. Astronomy & Space 3. Planetary Sciences * * * --------------------------------------------------------------------- February 17, 2026 Scientists discover recent tectonic activity on the moon by Smithsonian edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan [Gaby] Gaby Clark scientific editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process [Robert] Robert Egan associate editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread The GIST Add as preferred source --------------------------------------------------------------------- Smithsonian planetary scientists discover recent tectonic activity on the Moon A small mare ridge located in Mare Procellarum on the near side of the Moon. Credit: NASA/LROC/GSFC/Arizona State University Scientists have produced the first global map and analysis of small mare ridges (SMRs) on the moon, a characteristic geological feature of tectonic activity. Published in The Planetary Science Journal Dec. 24, 2025, the analysis performed by scientists at the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies and colleagues reveals for the first time that SMRs are geologically young and are widespread across the lunar maria--the vast, dark plains on the moon's surface. The team's discovery of how SMRs form introduces a new set of potential moonquake sources that could affect future site selections for lunar landings. Both the moon and Earth are tectonically active; however, the tectonic forces affecting each body are different. Earth's crust is divided into plates that have converged, separated, and slide past each other to produce expansive mountain ridges, deep ocean trenches, and a ring of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean. The moon's crust is not divided into plates, yet stresses within the lunar crust give rise to several distinctive landforms. One of the most common of these is lobate scarps, which form when the crust compresses and the resulting forces push material up and over adjacent crust along a fault, creating a ridge. These scarps, found in the lunar highlands, have formed only within the last billion years, or the last 20% of the moon's history. In 2010, co-author Tom Watters, a senior scientist emeritus at the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, discovered that the moon is slowly shrinking. This contraction caused the lobate scarps in the lunar highlands to form. Yet the formation of lobate scarps does not account for all the recent contractional landforms on the moon. Another recently identified class of tectonic landforms is SMRs. Smithsonian planetary scientists discover recent tectonic activity on the Moon A small mare ridge in Northeast Mare Imbrium taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University. SMRs are caused by the same forces that form lobate scarps. But while lobate scarps are found in the highlands, SMRs are found only in the maria. The research team sought to map out SMRs in the lunar maria and analyze their connection to recent tectonic activity. "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," said Cole Nypaver, a post-doctoral research geologist at the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies and the first author on the paper. "This work helps us gain a globally complete perspective on recent lunar tectonism on the moon, which will lead to a greater understanding of its interior and its thermal and seismic history, and the potential for future moonquakes." The team compiled the first exhaustive SMRs catalog. They discovered 1,114 new SMR segments across the nearside lunar maria, increasing the number of known SMRs across the moon to 2,634. They also found that the average SMR was 124 million years old, consistent with the average age of lobate scarps (105 million years old), previously found by Watters and colleagues. Those ages suggest that, like the lobate scarps, the SMRs are among the youngest geologic features on the moon. Finally, the analysis shows that SMRs formed via the same type of faults as lobate scarps, and that lobate scarpsin the highlands often transition to SMRs in the mare, suggesting a similar origin for these two structures. Together with lobate scarps in the lunar highlands, the team's SMR data provide a more complete picture of recent contractional tectonic activity on the moon. "Our detection of young, small ridges in the maria, and our discovery of their cause, completes a global picture of a dynamic, contracting moon," Watters said. Smithsonian planetary scientists discover recent tectonic activity on the Moon A small mare ridge located in central South Pole Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon. Credit: NASA/LROC/GSFC/Arizona State University Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter--daily or weekly. [ ] Subscribe The potential for more moonquakes Previously, Watters found a link between the tectonic activity that causes lobate scarps to form and the incidence of moonquakes. The discovery that SMRs originate from the same type of tectonic activity indicates that moonquakes could also occur across the lunar maria, anywhere an SMR is present. Expanding the list of potential sources for moonquakes creates new opportunities to better understand the tectonics of the moon, but it also shows an elevated risk for humans who might explore or live on the moon in the future, given the potential for seismic activity. "We are in a very exciting time for lunar science and exploration," Nypaver said. "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." Publication details C. A. Nypaver et al, A New Global Perspective on Recent Tectonism in the Lunar Maria, The Planetary Science Journal (2025). DOI: 10.3847/ psj/ae226a Journal information: The Planetary Science Journal Key concepts The Moon Provided by Smithsonian Citation: Scientists discover recent tectonic activity on the moon (2026, February 17) retrieved 22 February 2026 from https://phys.org/ news/2026-02-scientists-tectonic-moon.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. 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SMRs, formed by crustal contraction like lobate scarps, indicate recent tectonic activity and expand the potential sources of moonquakes, which has implications for future lunar exploration and site selection. This summary was automatically generated using LLM. Full disclaimer Let us know if there is a problem with our content Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request [-- please select one -- ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Your message to the editors [ ] Your email (optional, only if you'd like a response) [ ] Send Feedback Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors. Your feedback is important to us. 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