Questions about Alternate Worldline Design.

[Grouchy Chris]

Originally Posted by Rowan

I'm not sure how viable the idea is. specifically what I'm wondering is, how plausible would it be to have a farther alternate worldline with most of the metals missing?

It depends on what kind of plausibility you're looking for. If you're asking if it's plausible for a metal-poor planet like this to form in the first place, then the answer may be no. Stars that are low in iron are less likely to have planets (see here), and while we have no way to detect what the exoplanets around those stars are made of, it's a good bet that iron-rich stars have iron-rich planets.

Of course, that doesn't mean that iron-poor stars never have planets. But now you run into the problem of what kind of planets they have. I can't find any references, but it seems likely to me that the planets that form under metal-poor conditions are more likely to be gas giants than terrestrial planets. Perhaps some other forum member knows more about this.

On the other hand, if you're not worried about astrophysical plausibility and only want to know about anthropological plausibility, then, as far as I know, sure. The Aztecs seem to have gotten by with very limited metal use as far as tools and weapons go, and I don't suppose doing without metal for ornaments would have prevented them from building their empire.