What process is slowing the Moon's geological activity compared to Earth's crustal recycling?
Answer
Its thermal inertia causing an extraordinarily long cooling time
While the Earth experiences constant crustal recycling via plate tectonics over timescales measured in tens to hundreds of millions of years, the Moon's processes are significantly slower. The Moon is transitioning from a fluid body to a cold, shrinking one, and this cooling process is taking an exceptionally long duration compared to smaller celestial bodies. This prolonged cooling is attributed to the Moon’s thermal inertia. Consequently, even the Moon’s most recent dated significant activity, such as the latest wrinkle ridges, occurred over a timescale that, in cosmic terms relative to Earth's faster geological turnover, is billions of times slower.
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