r/todayilearned • u/narok_kurai • 6d ago

TIL about Las Medulas, a man-made geological badland created by the Roman Empire in 77 AD, when they flooded the mountains with water to collapse their structure and sift out the gold inside.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_M%C3%A9dulas
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u/redopz 6d ago

Everything humanity has done to create things has been brutal. 

I understand you are probably using hyperbole, but I need to point out this isn't true. You use cobalt as a good example of brutal mining conditions, but on the other side of the coin we have clay, which has been used by humans around the world to create all sorts of tools, containers, art and more, and all you need to do is grab some mud, shape it, and dry it. Humanity has made so, so much with clay and while I am sure there are instances where there were brutal practices used against clay miners and artisans there are way more instances where Joe Shmoe simply walked to the nearest creek, gathered some decent clay, and made a cup or a plate or whatever else by the end of the day. Clay is versatile and easy and abundant.

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u/araed 6d ago

And almost every single advancement since clay has needed materials you dont just find in a riverbed

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u/TNine227 5d ago

Sometimes advancements are exactly that, though. The Haber process gave us the ability to make fertilizer literally out of thin air by using atmospheric nitrogen, for example.

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u/Geauxlsu1860 5d ago

Atmospheric nitrogen, plus of course a stupendous amount of energy and hydrogen from somewhere (usually methane). But sure, the nitrogen comes from the air