minerals and metals like steel .are they inexhaustible supply?how long it will last at
current rate of consumption?are we indiscrimate in extraction?
2007-04-04 05:34:15 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Steel is not in short supply but it requires an huge amount of energy to make. This energy mostly comes from oil.
Other minerals are getting in short supply like tantalum and indium. They won't ever run out completely because they aren't destroyed. But you'll have to extract them from scrap heaps at much higher cost.
2007-04-04 05:50:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the United States, we have extremely large supplies of coal (around 500 or more years worth) and minerals such as iron. The iron does take a lot of energy to produce into steel, but the actual feedstocks of iron is immense. I am not sure of the quantity, but I think its around the same as the supply for coal.
I read recently that of all of the copper ore that we have mined since the beginning of time is only about 15% of the total copper ore we could potentially mine. That equals to several hundered billions of tons.
2007-04-04 07:00:42 · answer #2 · answered by chemicalcajun 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is a funny question and a good question.. first I will address 1 thing that is ALWAYS over looked...
that histroy started the day you where born, what I mean by this is.
for people in the age group of 1 years old up to say... around 37... everyone has always had a car in fact..all familes have 2 or 3 cars and it has always been that way... everyone has always had a home computer, a TV and TV has been on 24/7 for ever...but in the real world... the first TV station to play 24/7 was MTV in 1984.. and my grandfather told me about the first time he saw a car... up til 1970s... not everyone had a car.. so pretty much the human race has not been pulling these items from earth fro that long... as far oil shorage... we dont have an oil shortage we have an oil refining problem.. we need more refineries... but thats a reason to recycle... grow trees.. and only use what you use..dont waste stuff...
2007-04-04 05:44:41 · answer #3 · answered by Larry M 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
All elemental and mineral resources are finite. A good gauge as to just how limited they are is the price.
Furthermore, minerals can be regenerable and metals can be recycled...unlike hydrocarbons which undergo an irreversible reaction when burned and take millions of years to be created.
2007-04-04 06:04:52 · answer #4 · answered by gebobs 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋