Scientitsts discover deposits of precious metals on Moon surface

Scientists have discovered that the surface of the Moon does actually contain deposits of the precious metal.

They made the "surprise" discovery after blasting a rocket into a lunar crater last year in order to find out whether it contained water.

They did find it but also discovered a treasure trove of elements - including traces of silver. But the levels are far too low to make it worth opening a lunar silver mine, Telegraph.co.uk reports.

Last year, after the space agency dropped a rocket into a frozen crater near the moon's south pole and measured the stuff kicked up by the collision, scientists calculated that the crater contained about 25 gallons of water. But further analysis over the past 11 months indicates that the amount of water vapor and ice was closer to 41 gallons.

"It's twice as wet as the Sahara Desert," said Anthony Colaprete, the lead scientist for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission at NASA Ames Research Center in Northern California, according to The Spokesman Review.