Re: Ice properties under extreme cold and pressure

zippo wrote:

I was trying to understand what is involved in making the highest mountain.

The Himalayas are sedimentary rock; lots of limestone. Sea bottom
with an attitude - anything to get away from India. NASA should
"liberate" Mt. Kilimanjaro for the good of all mankind (e.g., NASA).

Possibility of building an ice ramp all the way into space.

Stupid. Slumping of highest mountains is published. You want
ceramics not ice. What would it cost in reaction-formed titanium
carbide? You want fractal structural reinforcement, as with the
Eiffel Tower, to maximize strength vs. weight when you get above the
base.

Fracture Mechanics of Ceramics 4 891-901 (1978)
TiC vs. WC

Reducing sea levels by hiding a large portion of ocean water in ice

If the ice floats it makes no difference at all. Otherwise, save 80
cal/g and build more hydroelectic dams and reservoirs. Let rain do
the up pumping.

Low density of ice reduces the depth the base penetrates below ground level.

Do the math and get back to us. Holes are cheap. Big holes are
cheap. Really big holes are cheap.

http://www.kennecott.com/history_mining_story1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyle_diamond_mine
http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/doe_nts_nf121.htm
The Sedan device was diameter 17.1", length 38", and weighed 468 lb.

Nice for repeat at 21°25'19.31"N, 39°49'34.34"E, -640 feet relative.

Don't have a handle on relating creep, slip, plastic deformation etc. to
this.
Suspect that George's "angle of repose" from sci.geo.geology is correct.
Because it is self adjusting, but how to calculate ?
Ice is not high purity, cliffs in glaciers can only get 500 meters high ?.
The angle of repose then dominates to what maximum height ?

Granular solids have an angle of repose. Solid solids piled high
enough eventually deform and slump. Look up why the Martian equator
is near Olympus Mons.

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz3.pdf
.