The Moon is a differentiated world.

This means that it is composed of

different layers with different compositions. The heaviest materials have
sunken down into the Moon’s center, and the lightest materials have risen to
the outermost layer. Seismic, rotational, and gravity measurement studies
have allowed us to gain insights into the different layers within the Moon.

At the center is the Moon’s dense, metallic core. The core is largely
composed of iron and some nickel. The inner core is a solid mass of
about 480 km in diameter. Surrounding the solid inner core is a fluid outer
core, that brings the total diameter of the core to about 660 km . The Moon’s
core is small (about 20% of the Moons diameter) as opposed to other
terrestrial worlds (like the Earth) with cores measuring closer to 50% of their
diameters.

Above the core are the mantle and crust. Differences in compositions
between these layers tell a story of the Moon being largely, or even
completely, composed of a great ocean of magma in its very early history.
As the magma ocean began to cool, crystals began to form within the
magma. Crystals of denser mantle minerals, such as olivine and pyroxene,
sank to the bottom of the ocean. Lighter minerals, notably anorthositic
plagioclase feldspar, crystalized and floated to the surface to form the
Moon’s crust. The mantle, with a thickness of roughly 1350 km, is far more
extensive than the crust, which has an average thickness of about 50 km.
Interestingly, the crust of the Moon seems to be thinner on the side of the
Moon facing the Earth, and thicker on the side facing away. Researchers
are still working to determine why this might be.

Seismometers left on the surface of the Moon by the Apollo astronauts have
revealed that the Moon does experience moonquakes. Deep moonquakes,
occurring broadly around 700 km beneath the lunar surface are tidal events,
caused by the pull of Earth’s gravity tugging and stretching the internal
structures of the Moon. Meteoroid impacts with the Moon can cause
moonquakes originating on or near the surface. Another extremely shallow
moonquake can come from thermal expansion and contraction of rock on or
near the surface as it goes from the extremely frigid lunar night to the very
hot lunar daytime. The fourth type of moonquake originates at the
moderately shallow depths of 20-30 km, can register up to a startling 5.5 on
the Richter scale, and can last for over 10 minutes! The causes of this fourth
type of moonquake are still being investigated.
Inside the moon, At the center is the Moon’s dense, metallic core. The
core is largely composed of iron and some nickel. The inner core is a
solid mass of about 480 km in diameter. Surrounding the solid inner core is a
fluid outer core, that brings the total diameter of the core to about 660 km . The
Moon’s core is small (about 20% of the Moons diameter) .Above the core are
the mantle and crust.Crystals of denser mantle minerals, such as olivine and
pyroxene, sank to the bottom of the ocean. Lighter minerals, notably
anorthositic plagioclase feldspar, crystalized and floated to the surface to form
the Moon’s crust. The mantle, with a thickness of roughly 1350 km, is far more
extensive than the crust, which has an average thickness of about 50 km.
Moon does experience moonquakes. Deep moonquakes, occurring broadly
around 700 km beneath the lunar surface are tidal events, caused by the pull
of Earth’s gravity tugging and stretching the internal structures of the
Moon.Another extremely shallow moonquake can come from thermal
expansion and contraction of rock on or near the surface as it goes from the
extremely frigid lunar night to the very hot lunar daytime