> neither the fresh shards or glowing/molten material we would expect from a collision. That's also an undesirable "area" of space for mining. A too-recent col

> neither the fresh shards or glowing/molten material we would expect from a collision. That's also an undesirable "area" of space for mining. A too-recent collision would be a dangerous area because of the excessive density. A "just right" area for mining might be a hundred thousands years old, but not tens of millions or older. The terran analogy would be a volcano: Too soon and you're still ankle-deep in lava. Some decades later you have the most fertile land on the planet for your crops. A billion years later it's no different to any other part of the planet and not especially productive. > whale fall That's precisely what I was thinking of! > I might try to write that someday. I'd read that story! It's a ripe context for drama: the luck of discovery, the gold rush, the fight over the territory by rival groups, the "frontier" aspects and lack of civilized law and order, etc...