CompuServe Messages

>>What's so special about the top fifty feet? Is that were oil comes from? No. Is that where most mineral deposits come from? No. Is that where people of the future will be digging? Probably not. Even if a nifty fusion torch and elemental mass spectrographic extraction system were to be developed tomorrow, I'd think you'd get a higher yield from "mining" a garbage dump than from filtering seawater.<< Oh, I agree with you. I don't think that the top 50 feet is so special, nor certainly not seawater. You're right that there are higher concentrations elsewhere (like the garbage dump), but if I can make my case with standard backyard dirt, then the case is quite strong that we have unlimited minerals. To make the case on richer deposits, weakens the argument *somewhat* because it presupposes unlimited garbage dumps, for example. We already know that the quantity of seawater and dirt, on the other hand, is nearly unlimited. But your point is well taken.