Geological shifts observed in Earth's poles and Moon's radius

Recent scientific studies have identified significant geological changes in both Earth and the Moon. Research published in the journal Science indicates that Earth's geographic poles are currently migrating at a rate of approximately ten centimeters per year. This phenomenon, known as ‘true polar wander’, is primarily driven by the melting of ice caps, which shifts mass within the crust and mantle and alters the planet's rotational balance. This rate of movement currently exceeds the average speed of tectonic plate movement.

Simultaneously, a study involving NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, and Intuitive Machines has mapped the shrinking of the Moon. Data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter reveals that the Moon's radius has decreased by about 45 meters over the last 400 to 800 million years due to the cooling of its interior. Unlike Earth's plate tectonics, this contraction affects the Moon's single lithospheric plate globally, causing over 10,000 young tectonic formations and moonquakes as the crust adjusts to the decreasing volume.