View source for Talk:Ore Bodies

This may be a bore, but the entire success or failure of the lunar settlement will turn on this concept.

Thanks, --[[User:Jriley|Jriley]] 16:04, 15 March 2007 (PDT)

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What about [[KREEP]]?  -- [[User:Jarogers2001|Jarogers2001]] 21:14, 15 March 2007 (PDT)

== KREEP ==

KREEP is certainly widely distributed, but does it have a concentration of anything of commercial value?

If you can make the case that KREEP is ore, go ahead.

--[[User:Jriley|Jriley]] 09:45, 16 March 2007 (PDT)

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It's one of the closest things the moon has that we currently know of.  All of the lunar minerals suck in terms of use as ores due to the lack of water in lunar geologic processes.  We may have little choice but to lower our standards in order to make settlement viable.  KREEP is a source of [[chlorine]], [[fluorine]], [[potassium]], [[phosphorus]], [[sodium]], [[zirconium]], [[thorium]], [[uranium]], and [[Rare Earth Elements|rare earth elements]].  All of these are extremely useful and if mined will not have to be imported from earth.  Kreep may prove profitable, or it may simply be used for cost reduction (not having to pay shipping etc). The only other semi-prominent ore bodies may be asteroid fragments.  The problem is PGM mining is only viable as a byproduct of nickel and other mining operations due to low concentrations.   [[Rhodium]] currently averages $5996.58 per troy ounce for march 2007.  -- [[User:Jarogers2001|Jarogers2001]] 13:03, 16 March 2007 (PDT)