Moonquakes Could Reveal Hidden Water Ice Beneath Lunar Surface

For decades, space agencies have known that permanently shadowed craters near the lunar poles harbor valuable water ice. Orbiting satellites can spot these frozen signatures on the surface, but they cannot reach deep underground to reveal how much ice is actually there or how it is distributed. Now, a team of researchers has proposed a new approach: listening to the Moon itself.

By analyzing how seismic waves travel through underground lunar soil, future missions could map hidden deposits before astronauts ever break ground. The findings emerge as space agencies prepare for crewed surface operations, including NASA’s Artemis program aiming for the lunar south pole in 2028.

How Seismic Waves Detect Hidden Lunar Ice

The newly published study demonstrates that frozen regolith and dry lunar soil behave very differently when subjected to vibrations. Ice stiffens the ground, allowing seismic waves to travel two to three times faster than they do through dry material. In addition, ice-rich layers can reflect seismic energy rather than letting it pass through, creating an echo effect similar to sound bouncing off a wall.

According to researchers from the University of Maryland, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Hawaii, placing a seismometer in the right spot on the Moon would allow scientists to detect both changes. That capability could transform how planners assess polar resources.

That quantitative insight could solve one of the most persistent unknowns in lunar exploration, moving researchers past mere surface detection into precise resource mapping.

Laboratory Experiments, Thermal Models, and Computer Simulations

To confirm that seismic signatures could reliably identify buried water, the research team approached the problem through three distinct methods. Lead author Harrison Lisabeth, a rock physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of Maryland alumnus, used volcanic rock from Arizona to simulate lunar dust. After crushing and freezing the material, Lisabeth utilized high-resolution X-ray imaging to watch how ice formed inside the microscopic spaces between individual mineral grains.

At the University of Hawaii, Matthew Siegler developed detailed thermal maps of the lunar south polar region. These models identified specific craters cold enough to trap volatiles for billions of years. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Maryland ran computer simulations modeling small moonquakes traveling through underground deposits.

Across all three experimental pathways, the presence of ice produced distinct, measurable alterations in the seismic data.

Why Accessing In-Situ Water Matters for Artemis and Beyond

Finding accessible water is more than a scientific milestone; it is a necessity for long-term space exploration. Transporting supplies from Earth places limits on payload capacity and mission duration. Once harvested, lunar ice can be purified for drinking, broken down into breathable oxygen, and split into hydrogen for rocket propellant.

As scientists point out, establishing a sustainable human presence requires utilizing local materials rather than hauling every drop from Earth.

Beyond supporting human crews, this ice holds deep historical value. Because permanently shadowed craters have trapped volatile compounds for roughly four billion years, studying the deposits could reveal how water originally spread through the early solar system and contributed to the formation of Earth’s oceans.

Upcoming Lunar Landers and the Path to Measurement

The team’s predictive models may soon face real-world testing. China’s Chang’e-7 mission is expected to land near Shackleton Crater in late 2026 carrying a seismometer close to suspected ice reserves. Later, NASA’s Artemis program plans to deploy the Lunar Environmental Monitoring Station during crewed south polar missions slated for 2028.

Those upcoming instrument deployments will give researchers their first chance to compare laboratory simulations against physical data from the lunar surface, marking a shift from theoretical modeling to active discovery.