Could a Coinshot push off of naturally occurring metals in the ground?

[kpShadowFox He/Him]

I was discussing with a friend the idea that a Coinshot(or lurcher) could affect naturally occurring metals in the ground. I was on the side of there not being large enough metal deposits 120 ft from the surface of scadrial, however, he pointed out that metals do occur pretty close to the top of the planet, and that they should just be able to push off of and sense metals in the earth.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

[Just_a_Fan he/him]

I think they could.

[alder24]

12 hours ago, kpShadowFox said:

I was discussing with a friend the idea that a Coinshot(or lurcher) could affect naturally occurring metals in the ground. I was on the side of there not being large enough metal deposits 120 ft from the surface of scadrial, however, he pointed out that metals do occur pretty close to the top of the planet, and that they should just be able to push off of and sense metals in the earth.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

No, unless the ore vein is fully exposed. A simple wall is enough to weaken the strength of Allomancy, pushing on something buried several meters under the ground isn't possible. You won't be able to even sense it.

[Returned he/him]

Mmmmm...

I agree that it would be difficult and impractical at best, as even a a little bit of cover would inhibit sensing metal, let alone Pushing or Pulling on it (as alder24 said). Plus we empirically observe many powerful Allomancers who specifically do not ever do this, even when it would be useful (it would have made Vin's horseshoe trick unnecessary, for example). A supremely powerful Allomancer might be able to, such as Rashek, whom we know was able to Push nuggets of metal even inside of Vin's stomach, but Rashek is an exception to so many things and in so many ways that I don't want to generalize from what we saw of him.

[Elite01]

I think its possible but difficult. If a coinshot was fighting within a mine for example I could see that being enough exposure to find anchors within the rock. In everyday life I think its unlikely they would be able to do so. 

[Duxredux he/him]

Well, Allomancer Jak ostensibly got some power from licking a cave wall for Tin, so Allomancers are obviously aware of naturally occurring elements.

That said, assuming my geology memory is holding up, you'll find certain minerals in bands throughout the crust because they follow the same layering pattern as most of the crust. Strata are exposed through active digging, tectonic activity pushing up a ridge of land diagonal to the strata, or other land movement like a landslide. Basically the only time you would get more than a line (rather than a plane) of a specific strata poking out through tectonic activity, is if a group was strip mining. That is when all of the upper layers of soil and plants are removed to expose the horizontal strata of the desired material, and it is extremely invasive to the planet, and has widespread ecological impact, so don't expect to see it too often. In other words, and as others have said, metals do not occur in abundance on the surface - if it's on the surface, someone either brought it there or removed the top layers to make it happen.

[+Lewis Nethur He/Him]

1 hour ago, Duxredux said:

Well, Allomancer Jak ostensibly got some power from licking a cave wall for Tin, so Allomancers are obviously aware of naturally occurring elements.

...

Okay, yes, but...allomancer Jak is also, very famously, a pathological liar when it comes to narrating about his own exploits and victories...

He's like the opposite of a Shard, he can only be honest about other people, not himself.

[+Oltux72 he/him]

On 10/12/2024 at 2:53 AM, kpShadowFox said:

I was discussing with a friend the idea that a Coinshot(or lurcher) could affect naturally occurring metals in the ground.

Such deposits are extremely rare. Where they occur they do not turn up in large chunks.