Anybody still playing M0

[Condottiere]

Strip mining can represent layers of exploitable resources.

But for that initial start up and venture capital from angelic investors, you have to identify some item that can recover that investment within a short time frame, which currently is usually five years, but let's say, interstellarly, ten to twenty.

 

[atpollard]

“Strip mine the cities” …

I posit that the concentration of LITHIUM in the soil beneath a city that had ubiquitous Lithium Battery powered vehicles 1700 years ago would be greater than the concentration of LITHIUM in a typical asteroid ore deposit … that makes it a better place to mine for lithium than exploring an undiscovered system.

I welcome (some, any) DATA rather than (mere fiat) opinions to prove me wrong.

 

[Condottiere]

Saltpeter.

 

[atpollard]

Saltpeter.

 

[warwizard]

I doubt that any of us have the ability to prove anything of our conjecture about a fictional future history. Mankind on earth has not been using lithium in any quantities to have 1700 year old ruins where lithium use was ubiqutius enough to establish high grade deposits under the ruins. Shall we just enjoy our hobby?

 

[Hensleyc1]

Oil??? Why with Methane so readily available in the outer system.

Yes, first survey would look for evidence of past mining and un-mined surface deposits. The previous civilization would have spent time and money finding the best deposits, take their lead and see if any are left. And yes cities will be a source of wealth (recycling) as that is where they would have left anything.

As for finding overgrown sites, Lidar combined with GPR could be useful. Run multiple frequencies in one pass, overlays may give better readings.

 

[BlackBat242]

Yes, first survey would look for evidence of past mining and un-mined surface deposits. The previous civilization would have spent time and money finding the best deposits, take their lead and see if any are left. And yes cities will be a source of wealth (recycling) as that is where they would have left anything.

Ummm I don't know of large-scale waste dumps inside cities - most are many miles away (there is one in central Utah miles from the nearest small town that takes in non-biodegradable/non-recyclable waste from several states) and compact in area.

Small towns do have them within a couple of miles (but far enough that the odor & wind-blown trash didn't enter town), or used to before the 1980s, but those have become fewer and now serve several towns.

We no longer build over our trash heaps.


The presence of cities (or the remains of them) WILL indicate that there will be large-scale dumps somewhere around, but they may be hard to find (NYC used to take its garbage out to sea and dump it there, they no longer do that nearly as much).