Re: (TFT) Re: Huge underground caves

[Rick Smith <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>]

  Well you can do anything you want if you
have magical materials.  However, I would
not expect titanium ORE to be stronger 
than ordinary rock.

  Rock is fundamentally a mass of crystals
(which are very resistant to any deformation) 
mixed together.  On a large scale (volume and
time), rocks are like a conglomerate: hard
lumpy bits glued together with softer minerals.

  Over long period of times masses of rocks
under pressure, will flow like putty.  So huge
holes will fill in.  Unsupported roofs will 
cave in.  Deep holes will twist and fill in,
etc.  Engineered holes will do better (a vast
cavern with pillars to support the roof, etc.)

  I.C.E. Moria has huge holes, km on a side
AND a short distance below are active flows of
magma.  (Heat makes rock even more plastic...)
There is no explanation as to how these holes
do not fill in due to the heat or the earth
quakes you get around volcano's.

  No doubt the writer of I.C.E. Moria would
give me a pitying look for being such a geek
and say "Its MAGIC".  Fair enough.  But I am
still bothered by the logical inconsistencies
which are ignored in the product.

  Regards, Rick.



On Wed, 2006-04-05 at 14:10, Marc Gacy wrote:
> In defense of Tolkien, et al and fantasizing in general, remember that 
> those mountains were laced with a metal much stronger than any we know 
> on earth. Wouldn't that contribute to allowing caves to be much larger 
> than what we have here? (Unless Mithril is just another name for 
> titanium, which, looking up the properties, it could easily be. 
> Fireworks indeed!)
> 
> - Marc
> 
> Rick Smith wrote:
> 
> >  
> >
> >>>  I guess I am just saying that I am a bit
> >>>more bothered by "huge hollows underground"
> >>>than most people would be.
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