Waiter, There’s Metal in My Moon Water!

Abstract

Water-ice recently discovered in dust at the bottom of a crater near the Moon’s south pole contains metallic elements such as mercury, magnesium, calcium, and even a bit of silver. This chapter explores the question of where it all comes from, and how new research reveals that the abundance of metal-loving elements such as gold and platinum found in the mantel of the Moon was delivered by giant impactors during the final phase of the Moon’s formation.