Ruination of all metals on scadrial

[Dr. H]

Where do metals go when someone 'burns' them? Do they return to the planet? Or are they essentially desteroyed as ruin would have it? If this is true, it would be interesting to see what will become of future generations with vastly depleted metals. Abundant metals that have beccome trace metals and trace metals that no longer exist! Just like oil on our planet.

In another post on atium-alloys I believe that main purpose of atium (ruin essence) is to provide humans with a catalyst to 'use up' scadrial metals (depleting them forever). Would love to hear thoughts on this.

A link to that post:
http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/54058-atium-alloy-abilities-theory/

[Dr. H]

To tie the two posts together, I think that the speed of burning atium-alloys will be very fast. Forcing people to burn more metal even faster than normal.

[king of nowhere]

at the relatively small burn rate of metals, times the small amount of allomancers in the population, those metals will last over a geological timescale.

anyway, it has been confirmed that they return to the planet after a while

[Dr. H]

I agree with the answer. As it stands it is very difficult with the limited number of allomancers to use up the metals on the planet.
However, what about when burning metal becomes recreational and available to all people with the right devices. Lets say that in a future world we are unsure of how many common people will have access to abilities. As we know, you can burn to imbue metalminds but what about the possibility of future metalmind sweat-shops or companies dedicated to the manufacture of said devices. If the population blooms to billions in a future trilogy it would be interesting to see how quick metals will get used up and if this plays a role in economics.

I am aware that god metals return but was unaware that normal metals return. Could you point me in the direction of that post/knowledge?

[king of nowhere]

I am aware that god metals return but was unaware that normal metals return. Could you point me in the direction of that post/knowledge?

nope, it's something sanderson said at an interview or other q&a with fans. i'm sure there is the quote somewhere on the internet, as there are quotes for pretty much everything sanderson said, including stuff he aready forgot.

 

anyway, even with future technology and metal abilities for everyone, consumption is still low compared to the total reserves. you see, at the moment on earrth we are using over one liter of oil per day, per person. and we got proven reserves for several decades, plus a lot more in other reserves that are more expensive to extract. most metals are more abundant than oil, and judging by the size of allomantic vials, an allomancer only needs a few grams. With further technology, metals are very abundant in asteroids, and therefore it is expected that the scadrians will learn to get them from there.

(Assuming there is an asteroid belt in the roshar system; an asteroid belt is caused by a giant planet causing gravitational disruption on the neighbooring orbits. Giant planets act as a sort of vacuum cleaners for rogue asteroids, greatly reducing the chances of impact on the rocky planets. Without jupiter capturing most asteroids, life on earth would have probably been wiped out by them - it came close to it several times already. So we can infer there is a good chance of a giant planet and an asteroid belt in the scadrial system too. but it's not a given, especially when shards are involved.)

[Master_Moridin he/him]

I am aware that god metals return but was unaware that normal metals return. Could you point me in the direction of that post/knowledge?

 

Here's the original post where it was said http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/3573-phoenix-comicon/#entry56958

 

 

I just got back from the Phoenix Comic on, where Brandon is a guest at, and I must say it was an honor to meet him. He read parts of Wax/Wayne 2, Legion 2, and the Taravangian interlude in WoR. There weren't a lot of cosmeric goodies, but I did get a couple interesting tidbits in relation to Mistborn: Ruin would have had to manifest to reabsorb the atium, the Well of Ascension did not come at a price to Preservation's power, and perhaps the most interesting one. Burned metals are turned into a different form, and will eventually return to the planet. The Pits of Hath sin are meant to foreshadow this.

There were a couple of cosplayers, with one particular group dressed as Sazed, Vin, Elend, and Tindwyl. I have audio of the spotlight (which includes the readings), but I don't know if I am allowed to post it. I probably will post a picture of the four costumers later.

[Dr. H]

My thanks

[Your3rdShadow he/him]

Although I think it's been sufficiently answered, to throw another WoB into the ring, he has stated that the people of Scadrial will achieve effective space flight, long before using up all the planet's metal. This of course working on the basis it doesn't return, which apparently it does. I wasn't aware of that, but I look forward to the point in the mistborn books when people talk about the random several ton cubes of metal that dropped out of the sky one day.