Not to worry, executives from De Beers are forming a corporation to take care of just that.
Michael in so. Cal. On Sat, Apr 6, 2013 at 6:47 AM, Michael Farmer <m...@meteoriteguy.com> wrote: > The problem is that supply and demand must equalize. I would think that the > arrival of more platinum that has ever been mined would instantly depress the > price on the open market. > Michael Farmer > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Apr 6, 2013, at 12:56 AM, bill kies <parkforest...@hotmail.com> wrote: > >> All in due time. It will be mind numbing to the nth degree when profits are >> made. The potential for fees and regulation are as limitless as the greed >> based hallucinations that currently strip us of our ability, our will, to >> produce on an entrepreneurial level no matter how basic. >> >> >> ---------------------------------------- >>> From: mikest...@gmail.com >>> Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2013 21:23:19 -0700 >>> To: mars...@gmail.com >>> CC: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com >>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Sign Up Now for your Mineral Rights (Mining >>> Asteroids for Platinum) >>> >>> Just wait until you see the BLM permitting process to establish a >>> mining claim on an asteroid... >>> >>> Michael is so. Cal. >>> >>> On Fri, Apr 5, 2013 at 8:25 PM, Kevin Kichinka <mars...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> Team Meteorite: >>>> >>>> When Ron Baalke forwarded today a news article about mining asteroids >>>> for platinum, I at once thought of science-fiction movies I have seen >>>> from behind a box of artificially-buttered popcorn. >>>> >>>> You know, those flicks where slaves from Earth work 84 year-days far >>>> beneath the surface of some bare rock-moon in space partnered with >>>> creatures normally viewed among the protozoa. Of course there is no >>>> possible escape from this living death, but movies need happy endings >>>> so our heroes always make it home to their Honey. Mining asteroids >>>> seems a bit far-fetched to me. >>>> >>>> But ask a question or make a comment on the m-list and someone opens >>>> the door to knowledge for you. Just walk through. >>>> >>>> Thanks to Randy Korotev, I know that "OC's may contain Pt at ore-grade >>>> concentrates of 1ppm." >>>> >>>> But really, how concentrated is that I wondered, ever the sceptic. Two >>>> seconds research informed me that Platinum is an extremely rare metal, >>>> occurring at a concentration of only 0.005 ppm in the Earth's crust. >>>> >>>> Looking deeper into the topic (research is like mining, just keep >>>> digging and you'll always find your bone) ... >>>> >>>> "Platinum exists in higher abundances on the Moon and in meteorites. >>>> Correspondingly, platinum is found in slightly higher abundances at >>>> sites of bolide impact on the Earth that are associated with resulting >>>> post-impact volcanism, and can be mined economically; the Sudbury >>>> Basin is one such example." >>>> >>>> And... >>>> >>>> "From 1889 to 1960, the meter was defined as the length of a >>>> platinum-iridium (90:10) alloy bar, known as the International >>>> Prototype Meter bar. The previous bar was made of platinum in 1799. >>>> The International Prototype Kilogram remains defined by a cylinder of >>>> the same platinum-iridium alloy made in 1879." >>>> >>>> Those two paragraphs were uncovered from >>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platinum >>>> >>>> Sterling Webb's ever astute comments and links gave me leads and info >>>> so that with a little follow-up I've also learned - >>>> >>>> - the total mass of all asteroids equals about 4% of our Moon's mass. >>>> (I had always thought the sum was equal to a 'broken' or 'aborted' >>>> planet the size of Mars or larger). >>>> >>>> - C-type asteroids are carbonaceous and the most common. Consisting of >>>> clay and silicate rocks they exist furthest from the Sun in the outer >>>> Belt and are the least altered by heat. They may consist of up to 22% >>>> water. >>>> >>>> - S-type 'silaceous' asteroids are primarily stony materials and >>>> nickle-iron and are found in the inner belt. >>>> >>>> - M-type asteroids are mostly nickle-iron and range in the middle region. >>>> >>>> One linked article allows that "because C-type asteroids are expected >>>> to have water they will be targeted first, the hydrogen and oxygen >>>> split to create fuel". (H-m-m-m-m-m, but 'closer' asteroids is >>>> 'better' asteroids). >>>> >>>> Most importantly, is mining platinum on asteroids and delivering it to >>>> Earth like so many storks bringing babies from outer space cost >>>> effective? >>>> >>>> It was estimated that a single 30m asteroid might yield $25-50 billion >>>> worth of Pt, more or less 40,000 to 80,000kg at 'today's prices'. >>>> >>>> The world's total Pt output was 192,000kg in 2010. >>>> >>>>> From the 'Economist' article link (BTW - my favorite magazine, >>>> Sterling) we learn, "...the real doubt over this sort of enterprise is >>>> not the supply, but the demand. Platinum, iridium and the rest are >>>> expensive precisely because they are rare. Make them common, by >>>> digging them out of the heart of a shattered planet, and they will >>>> become cheap. The most important members of the team, then, may not be >>>> the entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who put up the drive and the >>>> money, nor the engineers who build the hardware that makes it all >>>> possible, but the economists who try to work out the effect on the >>>> price of platinum when a mountain of the stuff arrives from outer >>>> space." >>>> >>>> ..... leaving me calculating the 'present value' of all this precious >>>> metal in 'Bitcoins' :>) >>>> >>>> Happy week-end. >>>> >>>> >>>> Kevin Kichinka >>>> Rio del Oro, Santa Ana, Costa Rica >>>> www.theartofcollectingmeteorites.com >>>> 'The Global Meteorite Price Report - 2013' >>>> mars...@gmail.com >>>> ______________________________________________ >>>> >>>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com >>>> Meteorite-list mailing list >>>> Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com >>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list >>> ______________________________________________ >>> >>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com >>> Meteorite-list mailing list >>> Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com >>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list >> ______________________________________________ >> >> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com >> Meteorite-list mailing list >> Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com >> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
