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Within the next year or so we'll have the technology to spot heavy metals through steel, wood, 30-feet of water, etc... based on the way muons scatter when they hit these materials (see 1st link).
We already have the technology to send remote-controlled submarines through strong ocean currents without
them getting swept off course (see 2nd link).
We also have the technology required to have these submarines follow a quadrant-based search pattern (see 3rd link).
So if we put all that information together we can design a remote-controlled submarine that will send us the location of every heavy metal deposit it finds as it roams its way across the ocean floor. When we eventually go out to find what it spotted we won't always find gold but it will take only one shipwrecked load of gold to make the venture pay off.
Heavy metal detection (see bottom of linked page)
http://www.space.co...tection_030319.html
Muon detectors [longshot9999, Nov 15 2004]
Remote-controlled sub crosses Gulf Stream
http://www.gizmo.com.au/go/3440/
Submarine type #1 [longshot9999, Nov 15 2004]
Pre-programmed sub possibilities
http://www.scienced...04/030414084952.htm
Submarine type #2 [longshot9999, Nov 15 2004]
The Atocha
http://www.ocf.berk.../~mars/treasure.htm
Found treasure #1 [longshot9999, Nov 15 2004]
S.S. Republic
http://news.nationa...31201_republic.html
Found treasure #2 [longshot9999, Nov 15 2004]
H.M.S Sussex
http://shipwreck.ne...times-6oct2002.html
Found treasure #3 [longshot9999, Nov 15 2004]
The Times last Saturday. Gold plaque found commemorating Heracleion
http://www.timesonl...,,2-1356643,00.html
[po, Nov 15 2004]
(?) Atlantis
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6489620/
Who knows what they might find here [longshot9999, Nov 15 2004]
Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee
Destination URL.
E.g., http://www.coffee.com/
Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)
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[Tabs] you'd only need to survey strips of the sea bed to find a seam. If however you were looking to find a wreck then usually the search is narrowed down through research, side scan sonar is then used to identify any anomalies on the sea bed, some type of gold sensor on an ROV would work very well to quickly identify the mark as a interesting prospect. |
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Why would you want to cover 99% of the ocean floor? The majority of wrecks are in relatively shallow water (ie. on continental shelves) and mining in deep water would be undesirable compared to easier survey/mining operations in shallow water. |
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ROV's are already used by De Beers to mine diamonds, gold's a logical progression |
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Gold is not particularly valuable, compared to diamonds. I also think that most shipwrecks would contain very little gold, despite expectations. It's the same psychology that makes people buy lottery tickets. |
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UB - See links for a few examples of recovered wrecks. Spanish fleets carrying gold used to sink around here all the time. As far as diamonds go, their muon scatter pattern might be recognizable too. |
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As technology improves, deap-sea mining for heavy metals becomes more realistic... |
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Well maybe it would work but old vessels had alot of lead in them and you'd end up searching it all to no avail! That and the cost of the subs, running the subs and other costs it would be hard to make money! Although if the price of gold took a rise over the next few years then who knows it might even be proifitable! Nice work you got my vote :-) |
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That article makes no mention of scattering. It looks like the cosmic rays are just absorbed. It also says that the process is slow. So unless you are building a tunneling machine to dig its way slowly along UNDER the ocean bottom, this isn't going to work. Even then, it would only be good for areas less than 30 feet deep, with detection speed decreased as it approached 30 foot depths. [-] |
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