Minerals and Human Advancement

[walrusman]

I'm writing a book and I need to know if the absence of Iron, copper, or other minerals would hold the human civilization back in terms of industry, weapons, machinery and electricity.

 

I would think without the basic building blocks for our various metals, mankind would still be relegated to the proverbial "bush", without any electricity, machinery or any of that good stuff. Am I wrong here?

[Sisyphus]

Well there has to be SOME iron and copper in the soil, because humans need those to survive. So we can't really exist in a place where getting those metals in a useable form is impossible. However, without EASILY mineable ores, I'd say we probably would never have discovered them, and would be stuck with only wood, stone, ceramics, glass, etc. There could still be civilization, I think, but if you want an advanced one, you might have to get creative with how their technology developed. But it sounds like you don't want that, so whatever.

[silkworm]

I'm writing a book and I need to know if the absence of Iron' date=' copper, or other minerals would hold the human civilization back in terms of industry, weapons, machinery and electricity.

 

I would think without the basic building blocks for our various metals, mankind would still be relegated to the proverbial "bush", without any electricity, machinery or any of that good stuff. Am I wrong here?[/quote']

 

Check out the Modern Marvels shows on mining, iron, copper, etc. They always allude to that. Without them, we certainly wouldn't have the infrastructure and civilization we have today, unless somehow we jumped to a bizarre understanding of composite organic materials that we are on the cutting edge of today.

[Aardvark]

I'm writing a book and I need to know if the absence of Iron, copper, or other minerals would hold the human civilization back in terms of industry, weapons, machinery and electricity.

 

Are you considering the absence of all minerals or just a selected few?

 

If a few minerals were missing it is possible that humans would have developed substitutes, it depends on which were missing. The lack of copper and iron would be an impediment but not obviously insurmountable to the development of advanced civilisation. Cultures have developed without them.

[walrusman]

Wow...I'm thrilled with the replies so far. Ok, I guess what I have in mind is more of a fantastical setting, where humans are far more spread out over a much larger planet, if you will. I need for hundreds of years to go by without the "ability" for mankind to be able to make so much as a light bulb. I would rather that be because of no material with which to make it.

 

The thing is, humans are persistant and resourceful and can make just about anything work given enough thought and enginuity. So, I'm wondering how effective the lack of certain minerals would be in keeping humans from being able to use electricity and build machines or any of that.

[SkepticLance]

Homo sapiens has been in existence for something like 200,000 years, as a species. For most of that time, our ancestors were limited to bone, wood, and stone for technology. Only since the bronze age, and the iron age (3000 years) has technology been able to grow.

 

It is reasonable to expect that, without copper, tin and iron, (copper and tin make bronze), that we would remain bone, stone and wood technologists for another 200,000 years.

[h4tt3n]

Wow...I'm thrilled with the replies so far. Ok' date=' I guess what I have in mind is more of a fantastical setting, where humans are far more spread out over a much larger planet, if you will. I need for hundreds of years to go by without the "ability" for mankind to be able to make so much as a light bulb. I would rather that be because of no material with which to make it.

[/quote']

 

I suppose you are writing sci-fi? The last quoted sentence makes me wonder - are you speculating about wether humans would be able to make a civilization without metals, but with the necessary scientific knowledge about how to do so - like, lets say, stranded astronauts on an abandoned metal depleted planet?

[walrusman]

I suppose you are writing sci-fi? The last quoted sentence makes me wonder - are you speculating about wether humans would be able to make a civilization without metals, but with the necessary scientific knowledge about how to do so - like, lets say, stranded astronauts on an abandoned metal depleted planet?

 

Actually quite close. Yes, the scientific experience is there, just no resources in which to exercise it. I need for humans to NOT be able to build machines, weapons, computers and etc.

 

So, I thought the lack of material would be a good way to do that and still have a believable timeline of several thousand years to work with. Thing is, I'm not very knowledgable about this stuff and humans are very persistent, so I'm not sure we couldn't find a way to mine the iron and minerals out of vegetation to make our metals - no matter how ridiculously difficult that might be.

[SkepticLance]

It is a little hard to give you a clear answer without an idea of the background to your story.

 

However, if a bunch of humans were thrown onto a planet, essentially naked with no resources, and if that planet had no easily refined ores, then it is hard to see how they could advance too much. There are some things they could do. Fire, of course, is a major first advance. This leads to manufacture of pottery, assuming clay may be found. Assuming suitable vegetation, then wood and fibre products can be made. If the vegetation contained tannin chemicals, then animal skins could be tanned to leather. An advanced neolithic culture could develop very quickly. With the wheel and writing, that culture could do well. Even glass and soap could be made.

 

However, to advance much past advanced neolithic would be difficult indeed, without suitable metal ores. Extracting metals from low quality ores can be done, but not from a neolithic base. It requires advanced materials.

 

Our heroes could make gunpowder, and use it as a weapon by making wooden or paper rockets, and by making the medieval equivalent of hand grenades. But without good metal, they could not make guns.

[reor]

Nice idea. On the contrary, without the "distraction" of such "easy" polymorphic and strong materials like metal, people might have concentrated on ceramics or plastics, which could have launched them faster into sophisticated technology.

 

... Thing is, I'm not very knowledgable about this stuff and humans are very persistent, so I'm not sure we couldn't find a way to mine the iron and minerals out of vegetation to make our metals - no matter how ridiculously difficult that might be.

:D

[walrusman]

Thanks for all of the replies. You all have given me plenty to consider as I move forward with this.

 

Now, I'm going to need some astronomical help...