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How do moonquakes differ from earthquakes?
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Moon
(Left) Near side of Earth's Moon, photographed by the Galileo spacecraft on its way to Jupiter. (Right) Far side of the Moon with some of the near side visible (upper right), photographed by the Apollo 16 spacecraft.
Moonquakes and earthquakes differ significantly in their frequency, intensity, and duration. While earthquakes are primarily caused by the release of elastic strain within the Earth, moonquakes are generally much less common and weaker.12
Key differences include:
- Duration: Vibrations from shallow moonquakes typically persist for more than ten minutes, whereas earthquakes usually last only one or two minutes.1
- Causes: Earthquakes are largely tectonic in origin. In contrast, many moonquakes are small "creaks" resulting from the Moon's adjustment to gravity gradients in its eccentric orbit, while others are triggered by meteorite impacts or thermal effects.324
- Seismic Transmission: The way seismic waves travel differs between the two bodies. Lunar seismic data suggest that impacts have created a high proportion of void space in the upper lunar crust, whereas the Earth's crust behaves differently.2
Although most moonquakes are minor, some shallow events can register up to 5.5 on the Richter scale, a magnitude that would cause structural damage if it occurred on Earth.1