Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Bullion Investing
>
How much silver is left in the ground?
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="InfleXion, post: 1429972, member: 29012"]To the OP, I have no idea how much silver is left in the Earth, but I can say the following. </p><p><br /></p><p>Epithermal Deposition, the phenomenon that causes the majority of large silver veins to occur near the surface of the Earth's crust, means that silver is no longer readily available in large deposits after having been mined for centuries with increasingly effective technology. This phenomenon happens because of the melting point of silver and how the planet cooled when it was formed, and as far as I know is unique to silver. While other metals are more equally distributed throughout the planet, silver is primarily at the surface and is becoming increasingly scarce, and expensive and difficult to mine. That's not to say some mining breakthrough can't overcome this, but it is a factor. This is evidenced by the mining production numbers. Recently silver has been mined out of the ground at around a 7:1 ratio to gold, even though it is commonly known that the past abundance in the Earth's crust is 17:1. So the gap in this ratio is narrowing with certainty. </p><p><br /></p><p>While I do believe we have seen evidence of peak oil with new discoveries dwindling over the last 50 years, I think peak silver is more of a certainty than peak oil, even if peak oil is destined to happen first. Reason being is that oil is produced by fossils (supposedly, even though scientists don't completely agree) which means that even though it may take a long time it can be reproduced from other existing organic material. Precious metals on the other hand are only produced by a supernova, and unless we master the process of creating a red giant / supernova within a controlled environment we are completely limited to how much is already in existence on the planet unless we mine other celestial bodies.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="InfleXion, post: 1429972, member: 29012"]To the OP, I have no idea how much silver is left in the Earth, but I can say the following. Epithermal Deposition, the phenomenon that causes the majority of large silver veins to occur near the surface of the Earth's crust, means that silver is no longer readily available in large deposits after having been mined for centuries with increasingly effective technology. This phenomenon happens because of the melting point of silver and how the planet cooled when it was formed, and as far as I know is unique to silver. While other metals are more equally distributed throughout the planet, silver is primarily at the surface and is becoming increasingly scarce, and expensive and difficult to mine. That's not to say some mining breakthrough can't overcome this, but it is a factor. This is evidenced by the mining production numbers. Recently silver has been mined out of the ground at around a 7:1 ratio to gold, even though it is commonly known that the past abundance in the Earth's crust is 17:1. So the gap in this ratio is narrowing with certainty. While I do believe we have seen evidence of peak oil with new discoveries dwindling over the last 50 years, I think peak silver is more of a certainty than peak oil, even if peak oil is destined to happen first. Reason being is that oil is produced by fossils (supposedly, even though scientists don't completely agree) which means that even though it may take a long time it can be reproduced from other existing organic material. Precious metals on the other hand are only produced by a supernova, and unless we master the process of creating a red giant / supernova within a controlled environment we are completely limited to how much is already in existence on the planet unless we mine other celestial bodies.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Bullion Investing
>
How much silver is left in the ground?
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...