Moonquakes are caused by tidal stresses from Earth and thermal expansion
Moonquakes are well-documented seismic events primarily triggered by tidal stresses from Earth and thermal expansion caused by severe diurnal temperature variations.
Papers [0] and [1] provide modern evidence confirming that thermal expansion and diurnal temperature cycles drive thermal moonquakes, while paper [2] establishes that deep moonquakes are triggered by Earth's tidal stresses. Paper [3] is tangential as it concerns terrestrial volcanic activity rather than lunar seismicity. The combined evidence robustly supports the claim.
Yuri Tamama, Allen LeRoy Husker, Francesco Civilini, Jennifer M. Jackson. Possible source mechanisms of thermal moonquakes recorded in Apollo 17 lunar seismic data: Insights from cross-correlation and diurnal temperature variations. 2025. https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.173775752.28504241/v1
This study discusses thermal moonquakes driven by diurnal temperature variations and thermal expansion.
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Arghya Kusum Dey, Rahul Biswas, Kusham Sandhu, Prakash Kumar. Thermal moonquakes at the lunar south pole: New evidence from Chandrayaan-3 ILSA observations. 2026. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-620
The research highlights that natural thermal moonquakes result from thermally induced stresses caused by large diurnal temperature variations.
G Latham, M Ewing, J Dorman, D Lammlein, F Press, N Toksoz, G Sutton, F Duennebier, Y Nakamura. Moonquakes.. 1971. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.174.4010.687
This classic study demonstrates that repeating moonquakes correlate with lunar gravity variations and are triggered by tidal stresses.
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