finding impact deposits on the moon?

I'm interested in finding places on the Moon where an asteroid has
impacted, and left behind a deposit of elements not normally in
abundance on the Moon. (Some of our richest mines on Earth stem from
such impacts.) I'm thinking of things like precious metals, which are
enriched in NEAs but rare on Earth and on the Moon (probably because
they tend to sink to the center of any differentiated body).

My thinking is that, while NEAs often offer a great selection of
elements at a very affordable delta-V, they are often inconveniently far
away. Mining a deposit on the Moon might be substantially easier (and
once a mass driver is in place, the delta-V for launching things from
the Moon becomes mostly a non-issue).

I'm starting to study the Clementine and Lunar Prospector data now, and
catch up on some of the papers written about them. And yes, I'm willing
to do my homework. But I'm wondering whether anyone here can give me a
nudge in the right direction:

What's the best way to hunt for these impact deposits? Neither
Clementine nor Lunar Prospector seem to have any direct way to detect
things like platinum, but is there some particular pattern of the
elements they do track (H, U, Th, K, O, Si, Mg, Fe, Ti, Al, and Ca)
which would indicate "not ordinary lunar material"?

Many thanks,
- Joe

Joe Strout wrote:

I'm interested in finding places on the Moon where an asteroid
has impacted, and left behind a deposit of elements not
normally in abundance on the Moon.

In general I suspect this will not be a good way of finding "ore".
During a hypervelocity impact, the impactor is generally vaporized
completely, and a good bit of the native rock melted as well.

Some of our richest mines on Earth stem from such impacts.

Really? Which ones? The Sudbury ore deposts are not associated with
the impact structure, and things like Barringer crater in the SW have
proven just the opposite (a lot of time and money spent looking for an
"ore body" that doesn't exist).

I'm thinking of things like precious metals, which are
enriched in NEAs but rare on Earth and on the Moon
(probably because they tend to sink to the center of
any differentiated body).

A lot of what we consider "rare" metals are siderophiles, and so end
up being sequestered in the iron core if differentiation occurs. For
the Earth, that locks a lot of Pt-group elements in the core, and for
the Moon they likely ended up locked in the Earth's core as well. But
it's not a mass or density issue - for instance, it seems uranium ends
up enhanced in the crust (it's a lithophile).

while NEAs often offer a great selection of elements at a very
affordable delta-V, they are often inconveniently far away.

Distance cost you nothing but time (transit time), while a gravity
well will always cost you energy (even if you can get it from some
local source, like sunlight... which is only local half the time on
most of the lunar surface anyway). A mass driver represents a
reasonably efficient way to use energy to acelerate mass, but you still
need the energy in the first place, so I'm not sure I'd call it a
"non-issue".
Perhaps the real question is how to locate good candidate NEO's with
a good mix of easily captured metals or volatiles. And then how to get
them to market (or create the market where they are; issues for both a
lunar or asteroidal origin for the materials).

Mining a deposit on the Moon might be substantially easier

Moon: likely low ore quality, some local power (solar), but your
product is at the bottom of a gravity well. Asteroid: potentially very
very high ore quality, unlimited local power (solar), product very cost
effective to move around the solar system. Downsides are a lack of
gravity (new refining techniques) and perhaps delivery times.

What's the best way to hunt for these impact deposits?

Unfortunately, on the main subject of your post, I confess to a lack
of answers. I'm unfamilier with the Clementine & Lunar Prospector data
on these points. I'd suggest looking up the elemental composition of
known asteroidal or meteoric samples, as use those as guides. The
composition of terrestrial ore bodies is likely nearly worthless
(having been formed under radically different conditions and by very
different processes).

--
Brian Davis

"Joe Strout" wrote in message
...
I'm interested in finding places on the Moon where an asteroid has
impacted, and left behind a deposit of elements not normally in
abundance on the Moon. (Some of our richest mines on Earth stem from
such impacts.) I'm thinking of things like precious metals, which are
enriched in NEAs but rare on Earth and on the Moon (probably because
they tend to sink to the center of any differentiated body).

My thinking is that, while NEAs often offer a great selection of
elements at a very affordable delta-V, they are often inconveniently far
away. Mining a deposit on the Moon might be substantially easier (and
once a mass driver is in place, the delta-V for launching things from
the Moon becomes mostly a non-issue).

I'm starting to study the Clementine and Lunar Prospector data now, and
catch up on some of the papers written about them. And yes, I'm willing
to do my homework. But I'm wondering whether anyone here can give me a
nudge in the right direction:

What's the best way to hunt for these impact deposits? Neither
Clementine nor Lunar Prospector seem to have any direct way to detect
things like platinum, but is there some particular pattern of the
elements they do track (H, U, Th, K, O, Si, Mg, Fe, Ti, Al, and Ca)
which would indicate "not ordinary lunar material"?

Many thanks,
- Joe

I think it is pie in the sky at the present time. But if I had to make a
suggestion, I'd say try the Artistarchus plateau. That would be the most
obviously place I would start my search.

George

Joe Strout wrote:
I'm interested in finding places on the Moon where an asteroid has
impacted, and left behind a deposit of elements not normally in
abundance on the Moon. (Some of our richest mines on Earth stem from
such impacts.) I'm thinking of things like precious metals, which are
enriched in NEAs but rare on Earth and on the Moon (probably because
they tend to sink to the center of any differentiated body).

My thinking is that, while NEAs often offer a great selection of
elements at a very affordable delta-V, they are often inconveniently far
away. Mining a deposit on the Moon might be substantially easier (and
once a mass driver is in place, the delta-V for launching things from
the Moon becomes mostly a non-issue).

I'm starting to study the Clementine and Lunar Prospector data now, and
catch up on some of the papers written about them. And yes, I'm willing
to do my homework. But I'm wondering whether anyone here can give me a
nudge in the right direction:

What's the best way to hunt for these impact deposits? Neither
Clementine nor Lunar Prospector seem to have any direct way to detect
things like platinum, but is there some particular pattern of the
elements they do track (H, U, Th, K, O, Si, Mg, Fe, Ti, Al, and Ca)
which would indicate "not ordinary lunar material"?

Many thanks,
- Joe

Well, let's see ... first you go to the Moon, then you look for impact
craters. Once you've found a crater, you must probe it for valuable
elements.

Shouldn't take long, considering how few impact craters the Moon has on
its surface.

Jack

In article t,
Jack Crenshaw wrote:

What's the best way to hunt for these impact deposits? Neither
Clementine nor Lunar Prospector seem to have any direct way to detect
things like platinum, but is there some particular pattern of the
elements they do track (H, U, Th, K, O, Si, Mg, Fe, Ti, Al, and Ca)
which would indicate "not ordinary lunar material"?

Well, let's see ... first you go to the Moon, then you look for impact
craters. Once you've found a crater, you must probe it for valuable
elements.

Sorry, maybe I was unclear -- I was asking for the best way to hunt for
these in existing data sets.

Thanks,
- Joe

"Joe Strout" wrote in message
...
In article t,
Jack Crenshaw wrote:

What's the best way to hunt for these impact deposits? Neither
Clementine nor Lunar Prospector seem to have any direct way to detect
things like platinum, but is there some particular pattern of the
elements they do track (H, U, Th, K, O, Si, Mg, Fe, Ti, Al, and Ca)
which would indicate "not ordinary lunar material"?

Well, let's see ... first you go to the Moon, then you look for impact
craters. Once you've found a crater, you must probe it for valuable
elements.

Sorry, maybe I was unclear -- I was asking for the best way to hunt for
these in existing data sets.

Thanks,
- Joe

Well, for one, the dust on the moon contains titanium, as indicated in
Clementine and other data, though the abundance is variable (the mare
basalts apparently are low in titanium). The moon is virtually devoid of
hydrogen, except possibly near the south pole (stay tuned). Clementine and
Apollo data also indicates that the moon is relatively rich in K, Th, Mg,
Fe, and Al. Mineral maps using Clementine data indicate the rocks poor in
Aluminum are rich in Iron, and visa versa.

http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/WebImg/feMoon.gif

Here is another part of the article that you may find to be useful:

http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Dec04/LunarCrust.html

George

A wow gold portal site showing which gold sellers have the cheapest price. Compare and save next time you buy WOW gold.