# Moonquakes Could Map Hidden Water Ice Beneath the Moon's South Pole

*2026-08-04 06:01 UTC · Science · 2 min read*

> Seismic waves from moonquakes can map buried lunar water ice before astronauts ever drill, a discovery timed to China's Chang'e-7 and NASA's 2028 Artemis south pole missions.

Geologists from the University of Maryland, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the University of Hawaii have shown that seismic waves from moonquakes can be used to detect and map water ice buried beneath the Moon's surface. Led by Nicholas Schmerr and Harrison Lisabeth, the team found that vibrations travel two to three times faster through ice-rich soil than through dry lunar dust, and reflect energy the way sound bounces off a wall, creating a measurable signature scientists can read from thousands of feet away.

The team combined lab experiments on volcanic rock that mimics moon dust, X-ray imaging, thermal modeling of the lunar south pole, and computer simulations of moonquakes passing through buried ice. The method could let scientists build a map of ice deposits before a single drill ever touches the surface, at depths of nearly 2,625 feet.

The timing matters: China's Chang'e-7 mission, carrying its own seismometer, is expected to land near Shackleton Crater in late 2026, and NASA's Artemis astronauts plan to deploy seismic monitoring equipment during 2028 south pole missions. Melted and purified, the ice could supply drinking water, while splitting it with electricity would yield oxygen to breathe and hydrogen for rocket fuel — and its origins may hold clues to how water first reached the early solar system, including Earth's oceans.

## Sources

- [sciencedaily.com](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223420.htm)
- [phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-07-moonquakes-reveal-ice-beneath-lunar.html)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2128-moonquakes-could-map-hidden-water-ice-beneath-the-moon-s-south-pole
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2201-otresy-mesice-by-mohly-odhalit-skryty-led-u-jizniho-polu