Iron deposits mined from under the city
$begingroup$
I would like to have a city sitting on top of a large iron deposit that will be mined by the inhabitants of the city. Is that feasible for them? Won't the city collapse under the mines? Are there some other issues I should be aware of?
mines city
asked 3 hours ago
gruszczygruszczy
1234
New contributor
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I would like to have a city sitting on top of a large iron deposit that will be mined by the inhabitants of the city. Is that feasible for them? Won't the city collapse under the mines? Are there some other issues I should be aware of?
mines city
asked 3 hours ago
gruszczygruszczy
1234
New contributor
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
6
$begingroup$
Why on Earth would anybody do this? Iron ore deposits are not particularly rare, and iron ore is not particularly expensive; which is to say, it's dirt cheap and has always been dirt cheap. (Current price for excellent iron ore is about 90 USD per metric ton; that's 2 grams of gold for 1 ton of iron ore.) Moreover, economically viable iron ore deposits are extensive; the inhabitants would normally be extracting the ore from the mountains around the city, not from beneath the city itself. Even the question speaks about a "large" deposit of iron ore; why then go underneath the city?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
Good points, thanks! The territories outside of the cities are generally unsafe, so people limit the exposure to minimum (mostly for growing food).
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
presumably the danger is on the surface, is there anything to stop them tunnelling out from within the safe area? depending on what the threat is from, short-term surface expeditions or breaches to create (and then partially fill in, depending on drilling technology or etc) ventilation.
$endgroup$
– Giu Piete
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
That's a cool idea - but the danger is actually both above and below. It's the iron itself that makes the city safe.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I would like to have a city sitting on top of a large iron deposit that will be mined by the inhabitants of the city. Is that feasible for them? Won't the city collapse under the mines? Are there some other issues I should be aware of?
mines city
asked 3 hours ago
gruszczygruszczy
1234
New contributor
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
I would like to have a city sitting on top of a large iron deposit that will be mined by the inhabitants of the city. Is that feasible for them? Won't the city collapse under the mines? Are there some other issues I should be aware of?
mines city
mines city
asked 3 hours ago
gruszczygruszczy
1234
New contributor
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
gruszczygruszczy
1234
New contributor
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
gruszczygruszczy
1234
New contributor
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
gruszczygruszczy
1234
asked 3 hours ago
gruszczygruszczy
1234
1234
New contributor
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
gruszczy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
6
$begingroup$
Why on Earth would anybody do this? Iron ore deposits are not particularly rare, and iron ore is not particularly expensive; which is to say, it's dirt cheap and has always been dirt cheap. (Current price for excellent iron ore is about 90 USD per metric ton; that's 2 grams of gold for 1 ton of iron ore.) Moreover, economically viable iron ore deposits are extensive; the inhabitants would normally be extracting the ore from the mountains around the city, not from beneath the city itself. Even the question speaks about a "large" deposit of iron ore; why then go underneath the city?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
Good points, thanks! The territories outside of the cities are generally unsafe, so people limit the exposure to minimum (mostly for growing food).
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
presumably the danger is on the surface, is there anything to stop them tunnelling out from within the safe area? depending on what the threat is from, short-term surface expeditions or breaches to create (and then partially fill in, depending on drilling technology or etc) ventilation.
$endgroup$
– Giu Piete
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
That's a cool idea - but the danger is actually both above and below. It's the iron itself that makes the city safe.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
add a comment |
6
$begingroup$
Why on Earth would anybody do this? Iron ore deposits are not particularly rare, and iron ore is not particularly expensive; which is to say, it's dirt cheap and has always been dirt cheap. (Current price for excellent iron ore is about 90 USD per metric ton; that's 2 grams of gold for 1 ton of iron ore.) Moreover, economically viable iron ore deposits are extensive; the inhabitants would normally be extracting the ore from the mountains around the city, not from beneath the city itself. Even the question speaks about a "large" deposit of iron ore; why then go underneath the city?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
Good points, thanks! The territories outside of the cities are generally unsafe, so people limit the exposure to minimum (mostly for growing food).
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
presumably the danger is on the surface, is there anything to stop them tunnelling out from within the safe area? depending on what the threat is from, short-term surface expeditions or breaches to create (and then partially fill in, depending on drilling technology or etc) ventilation.
$endgroup$
– Giu Piete
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
That's a cool idea - but the danger is actually both above and below. It's the iron itself that makes the city safe.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
6
6
$begingroup$
Why on Earth would anybody do this? Iron ore deposits are not particularly rare, and iron ore is not particularly expensive; which is to say, it's dirt cheap and has always been dirt cheap. (Current price for excellent iron ore is about 90 USD per metric ton; that's 2 grams of gold for 1 ton of iron ore.) Moreover, economically viable iron ore deposits are extensive; the inhabitants would normally be extracting the ore from the mountains around the city, not from beneath the city itself. Even the question speaks about a "large" deposit of iron ore; why then go underneath the city?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
Why on Earth would anybody do this? Iron ore deposits are not particularly rare, and iron ore is not particularly expensive; which is to say, it's dirt cheap and has always been dirt cheap. (Current price for excellent iron ore is about 90 USD per metric ton; that's 2 grams of gold for 1 ton of iron ore.) Moreover, economically viable iron ore deposits are extensive; the inhabitants would normally be extracting the ore from the mountains around the city, not from beneath the city itself. Even the question speaks about a "large" deposit of iron ore; why then go underneath the city?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
Good points, thanks! The territories outside of the cities are generally unsafe, so people limit the exposure to minimum (mostly for growing food).
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
Good points, thanks! The territories outside of the cities are generally unsafe, so people limit the exposure to minimum (mostly for growing food).
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
presumably the danger is on the surface, is there anything to stop them tunnelling out from within the safe area? depending on what the threat is from, short-term surface expeditions or breaches to create (and then partially fill in, depending on drilling technology or etc) ventilation.
$endgroup$
– Giu Piete
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
presumably the danger is on the surface, is there anything to stop them tunnelling out from within the safe area? depending on what the threat is from, short-term surface expeditions or breaches to create (and then partially fill in, depending on drilling technology or etc) ventilation.
$endgroup$
– Giu Piete
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
That's a cool idea - but the danger is actually both above and below. It's the iron itself that makes the city safe.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
That's a cool idea - but the danger is actually both above and below. It's the iron itself that makes the city safe.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
There are cities with extensive mining operations below them. The most famous is probably Paris.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/02/paris-catacombs/
Under Paris there are spaces of all kinds: canals and reservoirs,
crypts and bank vaults, wine cellars transformed into nightclubs and
galleries. Most surprising of all are the carrières—the old limestone
quarries that fan out in a deep and intricate web under many
neighborhoods, mostly in the southern part of the metropolis... Into
the 19th century those caverns and tunnels were mined for building
stone.
You can tour the Paris catacombs full of bones, but the tunnels were there before they put the bones there. And there are apparently many more tunnels than are occupied by bones. Kansas City also has extensive limestone quarries beneath it, although of course more recent (and less chaotic) than the ones in Paris.
I found reference to the Kiruna Mine which is a mine underneath a city of 24,000. Wikipedia states that subsidence related to the mine has affected some parts of the city.
answered 2 hours ago
WillkWillk
111k26207462
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Pretty sure one of the oldest salt mines has a city on top of it. Somewhere in Hungary or Poland.
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wieliczka, should have thought about it! Thanks.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@gruszczy It does raise the question of why not just live in the mine?
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Good point - I think it makes sense for people to do live there! They would need to be aware though that iron is keeping them safe though.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Underground quarries sound very cool too, will be useful!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If iron is that valuable, sure.
Detroit, Michigan is built on top of some pretty extensive salt mines.
The first image shows the vertical extent of the salt mines:
The second picture shows the horizontal extent of the mines:
All that you really need for a city to live on top of the mine is to have the mine deep enough and/or have enough structure left around the mine so it doesn't collapse (you want that anyway).
answered 1 hour ago
ShadoCatShadoCat
15.1k2051
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Sweet! Thanks a lot for a great example!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
And have it not be a coal mine that catches fire...
$endgroup$
– Jon Custer
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "579"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
gruszczy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f140948%2firon-deposits-mined-from-under-the-city%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
There are cities with extensive mining operations below them. The most famous is probably Paris.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/02/paris-catacombs/
Under Paris there are spaces of all kinds: canals and reservoirs,
crypts and bank vaults, wine cellars transformed into nightclubs and
galleries. Most surprising of all are the carrières—the old limestone
quarries that fan out in a deep and intricate web under many
neighborhoods, mostly in the southern part of the metropolis... Into
the 19th century those caverns and tunnels were mined for building
stone.
You can tour the Paris catacombs full of bones, but the tunnels were there before they put the bones there. And there are apparently many more tunnels than are occupied by bones. Kansas City also has extensive limestone quarries beneath it, although of course more recent (and less chaotic) than the ones in Paris.
I found reference to the Kiruna Mine which is a mine underneath a city of 24,000. Wikipedia states that subsidence related to the mine has affected some parts of the city.
answered 2 hours ago
WillkWillk
111k26207462
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Pretty sure one of the oldest salt mines has a city on top of it. Somewhere in Hungary or Poland.
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wieliczka, should have thought about it! Thanks.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@gruszczy It does raise the question of why not just live in the mine?
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Good point - I think it makes sense for people to do live there! They would need to be aware though that iron is keeping them safe though.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Underground quarries sound very cool too, will be useful!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are cities with extensive mining operations below them. The most famous is probably Paris.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/02/paris-catacombs/
Under Paris there are spaces of all kinds: canals and reservoirs,
crypts and bank vaults, wine cellars transformed into nightclubs and
galleries. Most surprising of all are the carrières—the old limestone
quarries that fan out in a deep and intricate web under many
neighborhoods, mostly in the southern part of the metropolis... Into
the 19th century those caverns and tunnels were mined for building
stone.
You can tour the Paris catacombs full of bones, but the tunnels were there before they put the bones there. And there are apparently many more tunnels than are occupied by bones. Kansas City also has extensive limestone quarries beneath it, although of course more recent (and less chaotic) than the ones in Paris.
I found reference to the Kiruna Mine which is a mine underneath a city of 24,000. Wikipedia states that subsidence related to the mine has affected some parts of the city.
answered 2 hours ago
WillkWillk
111k26207462
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Pretty sure one of the oldest salt mines has a city on top of it. Somewhere in Hungary or Poland.
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wieliczka, should have thought about it! Thanks.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@gruszczy It does raise the question of why not just live in the mine?
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Good point - I think it makes sense for people to do live there! They would need to be aware though that iron is keeping them safe though.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Underground quarries sound very cool too, will be useful!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are cities with extensive mining operations below them. The most famous is probably Paris.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/02/paris-catacombs/
Under Paris there are spaces of all kinds: canals and reservoirs,
crypts and bank vaults, wine cellars transformed into nightclubs and
galleries. Most surprising of all are the carrières—the old limestone
quarries that fan out in a deep and intricate web under many
neighborhoods, mostly in the southern part of the metropolis... Into
the 19th century those caverns and tunnels were mined for building
stone.
You can tour the Paris catacombs full of bones, but the tunnels were there before they put the bones there. And there are apparently many more tunnels than are occupied by bones. Kansas City also has extensive limestone quarries beneath it, although of course more recent (and less chaotic) than the ones in Paris.
I found reference to the Kiruna Mine which is a mine underneath a city of 24,000. Wikipedia states that subsidence related to the mine has affected some parts of the city.
answered 2 hours ago
WillkWillk
111k26207462
$endgroup$
There are cities with extensive mining operations below them. The most famous is probably Paris.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/02/paris-catacombs/
Under Paris there are spaces of all kinds: canals and reservoirs,
crypts and bank vaults, wine cellars transformed into nightclubs and
galleries. Most surprising of all are the carrières—the old limestone
quarries that fan out in a deep and intricate web under many
neighborhoods, mostly in the southern part of the metropolis... Into
the 19th century those caverns and tunnels were mined for building
stone.
You can tour the Paris catacombs full of bones, but the tunnels were there before they put the bones there. And there are apparently many more tunnels than are occupied by bones. Kansas City also has extensive limestone quarries beneath it, although of course more recent (and less chaotic) than the ones in Paris.
I found reference to the Kiruna Mine which is a mine underneath a city of 24,000. Wikipedia states that subsidence related to the mine has affected some parts of the city.
answered 2 hours ago
WillkWillk
111k26207462
answered 2 hours ago
WillkWillk
111k26207462
answered 2 hours ago
WillkWillk
111k26207462
answered 2 hours ago
WillkWillk
111k26207462
111k26207462
$begingroup$
Pretty sure one of the oldest salt mines has a city on top of it. Somewhere in Hungary or Poland.
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wieliczka, should have thought about it! Thanks.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@gruszczy It does raise the question of why not just live in the mine?
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Good point - I think it makes sense for people to do live there! They would need to be aware though that iron is keeping them safe though.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Underground quarries sound very cool too, will be useful!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Pretty sure one of the oldest salt mines has a city on top of it. Somewhere in Hungary or Poland.
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wieliczka, should have thought about it! Thanks.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@gruszczy It does raise the question of why not just live in the mine?
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Good point - I think it makes sense for people to do live there! They would need to be aware though that iron is keeping them safe though.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Underground quarries sound very cool too, will be useful!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Pretty sure one of the oldest salt mines has a city on top of it. Somewhere in Hungary or Poland.
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Pretty sure one of the oldest salt mines has a city on top of it. Somewhere in Hungary or Poland.
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wieliczka, should have thought about it! Thanks.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wieliczka, should have thought about it! Thanks.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@gruszczy It does raise the question of why not just live in the mine?
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@gruszczy It does raise the question of why not just live in the mine?
$endgroup$
– user2259716
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Good point - I think it makes sense for people to do live there! They would need to be aware though that iron is keeping them safe though.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Good point - I think it makes sense for people to do live there! They would need to be aware though that iron is keeping them safe though.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Underground quarries sound very cool too, will be useful!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Underground quarries sound very cool too, will be useful!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If iron is that valuable, sure.
Detroit, Michigan is built on top of some pretty extensive salt mines.
The first image shows the vertical extent of the salt mines:
The second picture shows the horizontal extent of the mines:
All that you really need for a city to live on top of the mine is to have the mine deep enough and/or have enough structure left around the mine so it doesn't collapse (you want that anyway).
answered 1 hour ago
ShadoCatShadoCat
15.1k2051
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Sweet! Thanks a lot for a great example!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
And have it not be a coal mine that catches fire...
$endgroup$
– Jon Custer
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If iron is that valuable, sure.
Detroit, Michigan is built on top of some pretty extensive salt mines.
The first image shows the vertical extent of the salt mines:
The second picture shows the horizontal extent of the mines:
All that you really need for a city to live on top of the mine is to have the mine deep enough and/or have enough structure left around the mine so it doesn't collapse (you want that anyway).
answered 1 hour ago
ShadoCatShadoCat
15.1k2051
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Sweet! Thanks a lot for a great example!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
And have it not be a coal mine that catches fire...
$endgroup$
– Jon Custer
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If iron is that valuable, sure.
Detroit, Michigan is built on top of some pretty extensive salt mines.
The first image shows the vertical extent of the salt mines:
The second picture shows the horizontal extent of the mines:
All that you really need for a city to live on top of the mine is to have the mine deep enough and/or have enough structure left around the mine so it doesn't collapse (you want that anyway).
answered 1 hour ago
ShadoCatShadoCat
15.1k2051
$endgroup$
If iron is that valuable, sure.
Detroit, Michigan is built on top of some pretty extensive salt mines.
The first image shows the vertical extent of the salt mines:
The second picture shows the horizontal extent of the mines:
All that you really need for a city to live on top of the mine is to have the mine deep enough and/or have enough structure left around the mine so it doesn't collapse (you want that anyway).
answered 1 hour ago
ShadoCatShadoCat
15.1k2051
answered 1 hour ago
ShadoCatShadoCat
15.1k2051
answered 1 hour ago
ShadoCatShadoCat
15.1k2051
answered 1 hour ago
ShadoCatShadoCat
15.1k2051
15.1k2051
$begingroup$
Sweet! Thanks a lot for a great example!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
And have it not be a coal mine that catches fire...
$endgroup$
– Jon Custer
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Sweet! Thanks a lot for a great example!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
And have it not be a coal mine that catches fire...
$endgroup$
– Jon Custer
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Sweet! Thanks a lot for a great example!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Sweet! Thanks a lot for a great example!
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
And have it not be a coal mine that catches fire...
$endgroup$
– Jon Custer
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
And have it not be a coal mine that catches fire...
$endgroup$
– Jon Custer
1 hour ago
add a comment |
gruszczy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
gruszczy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
gruszczy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
gruszczy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Thanks for contributing an answer to Worldbuilding Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f140948%2firon-deposits-mined-from-under-the-city%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
6
$begingroup$
Why on Earth would anybody do this? Iron ore deposits are not particularly rare, and iron ore is not particularly expensive; which is to say, it's dirt cheap and has always been dirt cheap. (Current price for excellent iron ore is about 90 USD per metric ton; that's 2 grams of gold for 1 ton of iron ore.) Moreover, economically viable iron ore deposits are extensive; the inhabitants would normally be extracting the ore from the mountains around the city, not from beneath the city itself. Even the question speaks about a "large" deposit of iron ore; why then go underneath the city?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
Good points, thanks! The territories outside of the cities are generally unsafe, so people limit the exposure to minimum (mostly for growing food).
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
presumably the danger is on the surface, is there anything to stop them tunnelling out from within the safe area? depending on what the threat is from, short-term surface expeditions or breaches to create (and then partially fill in, depending on drilling technology or etc) ventilation.
$endgroup$
– Giu Piete
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
That's a cool idea - but the danger is actually both above and below. It's the iron itself that makes the city safe.
$endgroup$
– gruszczy
1 hour ago