COMMENTS:
Can you imagine life without steel for your descendents?
The core of the earth is iron, so I dont really understand how we could run out.
^First you have to have the technology to punch a whole dozens of miles thick to get to the iron without the drill bit melting at four to five miles deep.
Then you have to have a way to keep molten lava and iron from gushing out like a volcanic geyser.
I'm sure it will be possible some day, but we have no idea when that will be. We discover that technology, conserve our iron ore, or we're screwed royally.
I understand we are running out of chromium, too.
Tex: 200 years ago there were deposits of iron we didn't even know existed or could have mined even if we did (200 years ago they were still digging it out by hand, with a pickaxe and bucket).
So I imagine in the next 200 years our miniing techniques will likewise improve, as will our surveying technology and recycling capabilities.
Besides which, steel is being used less and less these days in favor of synthetics anyway, I doubt that iron shortages will be a major problem any time soon (or even in the next few centuries).
Easily, texsue, re seeing life without steel. One of the benefits of reading science fiction is getting close-up extrapolations of future events.
Iron reserves ... depleted?
Hadn't realized this was a possibility. Ironic, in view of the iron core of the planet.
herz: No wif only so many synthetics didn't require petroleum ...
STEEL IS RECYCLABLE . WE WILL NEVER RUN OUT. WE MAY NEED ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY TO PROCESS IT.
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