The Moon may be hiding large amounts of valuable minerals, including platinum, according to a new scientific study. Researchers believe that many of the Moon's thousands of impact craters could contain platinum-group metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. These metals are thought to have come from asteroids that struck the lunar surface over billions of years.

The study estimates that up to 6,500 lunar craters may hold these precious materials. In addition, around 3,400 craters may also contain water locked in hydrated minerals. This water could be very important for future lunar exploration missions.

"These values are one to two orders of magnitude larger than the number of ore-bearing near-Earth asteroids estimated by Elvis (2014)," writes a team led by independent astronomer Jayanth Chennamangalam, "implying that it may be more advantageous, and hence more profitable, to mine asteroids that have impacted the Moon rather than the ones that are in orbit."

The findings suggest that the Moon could become an important destination for future resource mining. Space mining offers promising benefits as Earth's resources are limited, and mining on Earth often causes pollution and destroys habitats.

The Moon is easier to reach than asteroids, as its orbit is stable and predictable. Researchers say that asteroid impacts on the Moon may vaporise some material, but evidence shows that some remnants survive and collect in crater centres. Based on crater analysis, thousands may contain these valuable materials, making the Moon a practical and strategic target for future space mining efforts.

You might also be interested in: What is the ‘I Love Muhammad’ controversy, and how did it turn into a nationwide issue?