Overview
- Researchers led by Cole Nypaver at the National Air and Space Museum report 1,114 newly identified small mare ridges in the maria, published in The Planetary Science Journal.
- The additions raise the global tally of these shallow thrust‑fault landforms to 2,634 and extend evidence of lunar contraction beyond the highland lobate scarps first documented in 2010.
- Crater‑count dating finds the ridges average about 124 million years old and nearby lobate scarps about 105 million years, marking them among the Moon’s youngest surface features.
- The mapped faults reinforce a single, global contraction process and help explain where shallow moonquakes could occur, a consideration for long‑term infrastructure and crewed missions such as Artemis.
- Study authors recommend targeted observations to close imaging gaps and call for new seismic stations to refine hazard assessments for landing sites and surface bases.