From: joe@strout.net   
      
   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   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)