Lunar Energy and Mineral Resources: New Insights from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mining & Minerals - Evaluations / Off-World Exploration, Mining, & Technology

Date posted: 07/10/12

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is refining our understanding of the distribution and concentration of metals in lunar basalts, as well as thorium and uranium associated with silicic volcanic domes. Broad areas of the regolith having high concentrations of KREEP (potassium, REEs, and phosphorus) are associated with late-stage magmatic outflows concentrated in Oceanus Procellarum. However, recent LRO data also indicate up to 55 ppm thorium in farside feldspathic terrains that were formerly thought to have low thorium content. Further, the availability of REEs and energy minerals, such as thorium and uranium, indicates that with existing technology, we could support an active program on the moon, and with reasonable advances in technology, the Moon could export high valued materials to Earth such as helium-3. Viable and potentially self-supporting lunar bases on the Moon can provide a support facility as well for missions to Mars or mining activities on Near-Earth asteroids.