What precious metal will we run out of first?
Platinum. In some senses we already have, in that there are quite a number of industrial processes that would be incredibly useful that we can’t use because the required amount of platinum is more than can possibly exist in Earth’s accessible crust… whether we know where it is or not.This is the best argument for asteroid mining; we can’t get enough platinum down here.
How much metal for construction does the Earth have left? What happens if we run out?
Well, it may not actually run out.Basic economics tells us that when the remaining ore is highly expensive to extract, metals will no longer be consumer goods. If the metal for a fridge costs $10,000 then it gets made from something else, or only the super-rich can afford it.At some point later on, the only metals left have to be extracted from seabed mines and asteroids. At that point, a fridge will cost $1 million.Metals will always be available to governments, so the question you might better ask is, “When will a hammer or a knife cost so much that we have to go back to using flint tools?”.
What resource will the earth run out of first?
Really interesting question.Fossil Fuels. These might be the first to go, at about 2040~2060. How long will fossil fuels last?Freshwater only makes 2.5% of the total volume of the world's water, which is about 35 million km3. But considering 70% of that freshwater is in the form of ice and permanent snow cover and that we only have access to 200,000km3 of freshwater overall, it isn't surprising that demand for water could soon exceed supply. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations is predicting that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity. This is technically not all of earth, which is why I put it after fossil fuels.Water and food securityPhosphorus. Without this element, plants cannot grow. Essential for fertiliser, phosphate rock is only found in a handful of countries, including the US, China and Morocco. With the need to feed 7 billion people, scientists from the Global Phosphorus Research Initiative predict we could run out of phosphorus in 50 to 100 years unless new reserves of the element are found. Phosphorus Futures | Why PhosphorusRare earth minerals. Scandium and dysprosium are just two of the 17 rare earth minerals that are used in everything from the powerful magnets in wind turbines to the electronic circuits in smartphones. The elements are not as rare as their name suggests but currently 97% of the world's supply comes from China and they can restrict supplies at will. Exact reserves are not known. Estimated to run out from 40–100 years from now. This is dysprosium—if we run out of it, say goodbye to smartphones, MRI scans and hybrid carHarley Vague mentioned Helium. This is another big one, as the US has stockpiling a huge amount (40%) or helium, bringing prices up. Here’s a link that he provided: Helium is vital for medicine -- just as well we discovered more of this rare elementOf course, there is a ton more, and the dates are a little uncertain because the rates are changing all the time. Let's hope we can fix a couple of these.
Why are rare earth metals called rare, even though they are quite commonly found on the earth?
lynn y is wrong about this. There are relatively rich deposits of rare earth ore in many places on earth. They are "rare" because they are very difficult to separate from each other. The chemistry of the rare earths is rather strange and unique (and similar to the chemistry of the Actinides). Misch Metal is the name of the metal alloy that is made when all the mixed rare earths are converted into metallic form. Misch Metal is not particularly expensive and is used in lighter flints. The extractive metallurgy "trick" is separating the individual lanthanide elements from each other.