Moon .. Are precious metals hidden beneath its surface?

A new study by geologists in Canada and the United States suggests a deposit of precious metals under the moon.

James Brennan, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Dalhousie University in Canada and lead author of the study, said that he and his colleagues had been able to establish a parallel between the mineral deposits of the Earth and those of the Moon.

Brennan worked with geologists from Carleton University and the Geophysical Laboratory in Washington, DC, to prepare for the study, published in the British journal Nature Geoscience.

"We have been able to link the sulfur content of lunar volcanic rocks through the presence of iron sulphide deep within the moon," said Brennan.

Scientists have long speculated that the moon was formed after its separation from the Earth, the impact of an object the size of a planet, there are 4, 5 billion years old. Due to the common history of the Moon and Earth, there are similarities in their composition, but initial measurements of precious metal concentrations in lunar rocks in 2006 showed unusually low levels. left scientists puzzled for more than a decade on the reason for these low concentrations.

Brennan believes that these low levels reflect a general depletion of precious metals throughout the moon. The new research, funded with support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, provides an explanation of low levels and adds valuable information to the composition of the moon.

"Our results show that sulfur in lunar rocks is evidence of the presence of iron sulphide in the rocky interior of the moon, where precious metals remained during lava formation," said Brennan.