Noun
starquake (plural starquakes)
(astronomy) A violent tremor or quake that occurs on or near the surface of a star, especially a collapsed star.
After the starquake, the star will have a smaller equatorial radius, and because angular momentum is conserved, its rotational speed has increased. Source: Internet
Due to the stiffness of the "neutron" crust, this happens as discrete events when the crust ruptures, creating a starquake similar to earthquakes. Source: Internet
Glitches are thought to be the effect of a starquake —as the rotation of the neutron star slows, its shape becomes more spherical. Source: Internet